The Secret
by Deanna Kranz
Summary: Beverly has a secret she has managed to keep for 16 years. *I have written a sequel called 'Children, Polls, and Speculation' for all those who asked for it.*
1. Chapter 1

The characters, ships, and jargon belong to Paramount. "Welcome" belongs to Phil Collins and Disney. Only the story line belongs to me.

Special thanks to Karen Page for allowing me to use her story, "There's Something I've Been Meaning To Tell You," to help me finish up mine.

* * *

**DAY 1**

Kayleen Lampson sat in her office remembering a day when a baby girl was enrolled in this school in this same office. It was a fine morning in 2354 and she had already made preparations for her arrival. A young woman entered her office with the newborn in her arms. All she could remember about her was that she had blue eyes and stood taller than most women she'd seen.

"You must be ...." she had said but she couldn't remember her name anymore.

"Yes," she answered.

"This must be our new student." She said looking at the little girl in her arms.

"Take a seat. I just need to ask you some questions. Did you bring her medical records?"

"Yes, I did." and she handed her a PADD

"Good. I just need to finish her enrollment. Her last name?"

"Picard," the woman had answered and held the baby a little tighter than she had been as she spoke the word.

She began putting this information into the computer at this desk.

"First name?"

"Beverly"

"Does she have a middle name?"

"Yes, Cheryl."

"Her date of birth?"

"February 8, 2354."

"You do realize that once you sign her custody away to us you cannot get her back unless you go through a formal adoption, right?"

"Yes."

"You can also do a temporary custody transfer, if you'd like. That way you could come back and take her any time you choose."

"No, I think this way is best."

She had inputted some more information and then stood.

"OK. She has been officially enrolled now. Please come with me and I will escort you to the nursery. There are currently 5 infants under 6 months in there. It is run by a family and she will remain there until she is 6 months old when she will be transferred to a nursery with older children. At age 2 we begin more formal education…"

"That's alright. I'm sure it is perfect, but I must get going."

"I understand"

She looked down at the little baby and a tear came down each cheek. "This is the best place in the quadrant" she told the baby and held her close one last time before reluctantly handing her over to Kayleen.

That was 16 years ago and that baby had grown up there her whole life without any problems. That same little girl, now 16 years old, was on some Starfleet vessel with a severe head injury as well as other injuries. She waited in her office for Albert Stevens who was in charge of the investigation.

"Ms. Lampson, I have interviewed all the witnesses and have pieced together what happened."

Kayleen was pulled out of her thought. "Albert, I didn't hear you come in. Have a seat and tell me what you have found."

Albert sat down and began, "Erin Peters, a representative from External Affairs, was giving 7 representatives from Starfleet a tour of the facilities."

"What were they doing here?" Kayleen asked.

"Starfleet has been interested for some time in having our planet join the Federation. They claim they are impressed that we turned our whole planet into a school while having a powerful military surrounding our planet to guard us from any hostilities. They are interested in having our school become part of _their_ Academy. Of course that will never happen, but External Affairs has decided to humor them for a little while. It seems that if they do every couple of years that they stop bothering for a while. Anyway, Starfleet sent it's flagship, The Enterprise, to meet with us and Erin was showing their, umm…" looks at his PADD, "senior officers around."

"Ah, yes. I was able to get out of going to the dinner tonight."

"Several students at the Dance Center, where the incident occurred, reported to have seen them being escorted by Erin through the buildings which Erin said was to get them to the Science Center quicker since going around the Dance Center would take at least an hour. She says she thought that if she highlighted the arts departments that they would "soon realize it wasn't wise to move in." as she put it. The Grand Ballroom was their second stop in the facilities and that is where Miss. Bevy was rehearsing alone while a few others stretched. Erin was explaining the types of things done in the ballroom when the incident occurred."

"Just like that, they were in the room and suddenly it just happened??" she said with a bit of frustration as she stood from behind her desk and placed her hands at her hips, towering over the desk and Albert in an intimidating manner.

"Well, not that simply," answered Albert, not at all fazed by her demanding body language. He understood how she felt, and it was not the first time she had reached frustration in front of him. "According to Counselor Troi, who is also a telepath, she noticed something strange with Dr. Crusher, the attacker. She began to intently look at Miss. Bevy and then," starts reading, "'had a serge of conflicting emotions from anger to fear to sadness and happiness and joy as if she didn't know how to feel' and then ran over towards Miss. Bevy. Their captain, Mr. Picard, shouted 'Beverly!' which caught Miss. Bevy's attention. The attacker threw her back onto the floor where her head hit a wooden block that was on the floor and commenced to shaking her which we believe resulted in multiple hits on the head against the block. At this point a Mr. Worf, their chief of security, the Klingon, ran over and separated the doctor and restrained her. Everyone present in the ballroom gave a very similar story."

"Why was there a brick on the floor?"

"According to several students she often puts wooden blocks on the floor to outline the exact size of the stage she will be performing on. The ballroom is quite big and it is easy for her to loose track of the size."

"What is the name of the attacker?"

"Her name is Dr. Beverly Crusher."

"That name sounds familiar. Too familiar. Where is she now?"

"In detention but our disciplinary committee are confused. They have never dealt with such a crime. The most severe case in our history was the food fight that occurred 25 years ago which caused someone to slip and suffer minor bruises. Nothing as severe as this. They are at a lost on how this should be handled."

"I understand, I will speak with them this afternoon. Now, how did Bevy end up onboard their starship?"

"Our medical staff has never dealt with such injuries. Usually injuries occur as a result of accidents and they are minor. The most severe head injuries are minor concussions from falls. She had bleeding in the brain. The medic that arrived said they were going to do the best they could but it wasn't promising. Mr. Picard said that they could treat her on his ship. The medic gave the release of custody to them."

"And why has their ship left?"

"I spoke with the captain myself. He says that their laws state that they must obey local law and that we can put her on trial and administer punishment which is why she is staying with us. However, he said they had a time sensitive matter to attend to and that they would be back in a week. He asked that we delay until their return. They will provide legal counsel to the accused but it will wait until they return. As a result I cannot question the accused until their return. They assured me Miss Bevy was in good care."

"I want all the data you gathered from your investigation for my own review before I speak to the disciplinary committee. I will also speak with Starfleet to see what information I can gather about Dr. Crusher."

"I wish you luck in your investigation now that I have done all I can do," and Albert gave her his PADD with information. He was glad the case was off his hands now. While he understood the enormity of what had happened, he didn't understand why there seemed to be so much drama over the incident. It seemed like the perfect excuse to dismiss Starfleet for good, or at least for a very long time, which is what they wanted to do anyway. Bevy was ok, the starship doctors would be able to treat her. Simply hold the attacker until Bevy is returned, make the exchange and send the Enterprise on their way with a final 'No thank you.'

"You can go, get some rest."

"Thank you. And I suggest you do the same yourself." Albert stood up and left the office.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

[earlier that day]

The senior staff of the starship Enterprise sat around the glass table waiting to be briefed on their next assignment, talking amongst themselves as they waited. Commander Riker, Counselor Troi, and Data had been told to pull up all information concerning Clairmont Academy and inform the senior staff that there would be a briefing at 0900. Captain Picard entered the briefing room and the room fell silent. Taking a slight breath the captain began, "We have been told to go to Clairmont Academy, the fifth planet in the Zorcor system, to open talks with them in the hopes that we can convince them to join The Federation. What do we know about them?"

Dr. Crusher's heart literally stopped at hearing the captain's question. She felt all the blood rush from all over her body to her head and was sure her face was bright red. Counselor Troi felt a rush of panic from her friend across the table and looked at her but the doctor would not make eye contact.

"It is a relatively small planet and the only M class planet in that system," responded Data to the captain's inquiry. "It was colonized 2163, two years after the United Federation Of Planets was established. It was colonized by roughly 400 humans that opposed the Federation claiming the Federation was simply a larger version of the United Nations from Earth which had become corrupt and only benefited the wealthy and largely ignored those less fortunate. Their leader was a man called George Clairmont. He asked for him and his followers to be transported to their current location. At the time that solar system had no inhabitants and was far beyond the Federation border. They were left there and the Federation has kept constant contact since. The closest Federation planet to Clairmont Academy is Betazed."

Commander Riker continued, "They quickly began using the planets resources to build colonies and soon expanded to a large city in the southern continent. They had a very loose government lead by Clairmont. He established schools and jobs for the people and made away with currency. He implemented a sort of point system which would be used for acquiring non-necessity goods such as candy and entertainment. The government supplied all the necessities so that no one would ever go hungry or without shelter but there also was no wealthy class. Since the followers where from all over Earth and held different beliefs and traditions, soon there was a call for a way of expressing those things. Clairmont combined the schools to prevent parents from segregating the children from other children based on beliefs and had the citizens vote on which values would unite the new generation. He turned his school into a boarding school calling it Clairmont Academy in which all children were required to attend and they were all taught the same things."

The captain turned to Counselor Troi and she began, "The school kept expanding even after Clairmont's death and the citizens, the schools first occupants, decided it was very important to keep the school running and expanding. The government has been changed and is completely run by the students of the school. The adults' jobs are much like those in any society. They are doctors, farmers, architects, engineers, psychologists, cooks, etc. But they are also all instructors at the academy. There are no laws requiring this but it is something they believe is very important. In essence, the students pursue their careers and teach what they have learned. A never ending cycle."

"To protect their planet," Riker added, "they have developed a large military which orbits the planted in 15 ships. There is nothing official known about their technology or armament but they have been rumored to have technology far more advanced than that of the Federation."

"In 2240 they announced that they would be accepting children from the federation into their academy," said Data, taking the floor again. "They only accept children under the age of 10 claiming it is too difficult to teach a child their values after that age."

"Why would someone send their children there?" asked LaForge.

Picard considered the question for a moment before responding. "With such protection for that small planet and being free from the Federation means that any attacks to the Federation would not include them and they can defend themselves. Starfleet officers who don't want to take their children from ship to ship and risk their lives would find that to be the perfect place."

"It also has a very intense curriculum," added Troi, "though their teaching methodologies are very different from that of Starfleet or any other institution affiliated with Starfleet. It has such a high standard and is so well known in the whole sector that on Betazed sending your children to Clairmont Academy is considered to be something only the elite do. My mother wanted to send me there when I was young. I did end up doing my internship there while I was studying at the University Of Betazed. Both institutions have academic agreements."

Dr. Crusher sat in her chair only half listening to what her colleagues where saying. She had long forgotten the name and place and truly had hoped to never hear it mentioned again. "Why are _we_ going there?" she asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

At the inquiry the captain turned to look directly at his CMO and noticed that her face was almost the same color as her hair and she seemed uneasy. He wondered what was bothering her and wanted to ask. _It could be anything_, he thought, and decided not ask her what was wrong and simply answered her question. "The Federation wants them to join but they are not interested. We are going to try to convince them."

"Starfleet has been trying to convince them to join the Federation for the past 113 years," Data added.

"Then why do we insist?" asked Riker. "It's not like Starfleet to try to convince people to join."

"You're right, Number One. However, Starfleet wants to build a training base for cadets in their final year on their western continent, which they do not occupy. It would mean they could be quickly deployed, if needed, to ships further away from Earth."

"And you are going to be meeting with their representatives?" asked Crusher.

"No. The whole senior staff is to meet their representatives. We will be taken on a tour of the facilities and dinner, where the proposal will be discussed. Starfleet feels that if we all go it would show true interest in them not just their planet."

"Are you sure that is wise, to leave the ship without any senior officers on board?"

The captain felt puzzled at the doctor's question. It wasn't like her to question a decision like this one, especially one directed by Starfleet Headquarters. Her objections were usually morally based, not command based. "These are very peaceful people with enough military protection to protect this whole sector. I am sure The Enterprise will be fine without its senior officers for several hours," he reassured her, becoming more worried at her growing anxiousness.

"How long will we be visiting?" asked Riker.

"Depends on how the negotiations go during dinner. We must pick up a delegate in a near by system and transport them to a neighboring system."

"Since when are we a transport service?"

The captain let out a soft sigh at the commander's inquiry. He always had the tough questions. "We are not simply transporting them. I am going to mediate a dispute. I haven't read through the details but it seems that every time they disagree they break out in war which causes chaos in the sector. I am to avoid that from happening. If talks proceed well at Clairmont then we will return to Clairmont after I have successfully avoided a war."

Beverly knew that Deanna would want to talk to her, as an empath, she was surely feeling all of Beverly's anxiety. She also knew Geordi would be heading off the bridge, probably to engineering, and would have to get on the turbo lift. She just had to make sure she was on the lift with him. Deanna would not ask her about her feelings if Geordi was there in the lift with them, but it would be much better if Deanna just didn't get on the lift at all. Beverly _really_ didn't want to talk about it.

Picard noticed once again that his CMO was distracted. "I expect everyone on time and in dress uniforms at 1400 hours. Dismissed."

Just as Beverly had planned, as soon as she heard the word "Dismissed" she made a bee line to Geordi and followed him to the turbo lift. Will stopped Deanna to ask her a question, stopping her from following Beverly. As the doors swished closed, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Deck 8" she called. Luck was on her side. Usually, she would have attempted to start a conversation with Geordi but she had other things on her mind. She had evaded Deanna for now, but she was going to get to her and Beverly needed an explanation.

Dr. Crusher should have gone to sick bay for her shift but instead headed back to her quarters. She needed to concentrate on what she was going to do and all the possible outcomes. She called in to sick bay saying she would not be in because she needed to prepare for the mission. It wasn't a lie; she was preparing explanations for both Deanna and Captain Picard. He too had looked at her with concern. He needed an explanation most of all.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Deanna was concerned about what she had felt from her friend, and wanted to talk to her, but she was stopped by Commander Riker. "Great timing, Will" she thought as she saw Beverly vanish behind the turbo lift doors. She decided she would talk to her after their visit to Clairmont. She was likely heading to sick bay and would say she had a lot of work to do before the mission and could not talk. She was great at excuses.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Beverly Crusher sat in the cell, thinking. _Cell. _This_ is a cell?_ she thought as she looked around. It was a small room but there was a small bed, a comfy chair, and a table with a computer, a pitcher with water, a glass and a bowl with 2 apples. "I guess you wouldn't throw a kid in the brig," she thought out loud.

What had happened? How did she end up in custody? She went through the afternoon in her head. They had beamed down to Clairmont Academy where they were met by Erin, a representative of theirs. She had eased her mind by thinking that what was the chance of her seeing the one person causing her anxiety. It was a big school and they were probably not going to be disrupting any students in their studies. And _if _she did see that person, she might not recognize them. _She_ was definitely not going to be recognized. So she had gone through the tour more relaxed than she had anticipated that morning.

"We will be going through the Dance Center before we head to the Science Center." Erin had announced. This had interested Beverly since she had once been a dancer. They entered the main ballroom where there was music playing. There was a small group of students, maybe 6 or 7, stretching in one corner. Taking up the rest of the ballroom was a girl dancing to the music. She caught Beverly's full attention almost immediately. Beverly knew who that was. Sitting in her cell, she remembered wanting to run to her and hug her. But suddenly she was filled with all sorts of emotion she could not explain. "It felt like they were being thrown at me" she whispered. She shivered as she remembered running towards her and hitting her with something, wanting to stop but not being able to. "I need to write this down while it is still fresh in my mind," she said to herself and walked over to the computer. She turned it on and realized it looked nothing like what she was used to. She pulled the table towards he chair and began navigating the system. It took her several minutes to figure out how to find a writing pad. "Yes, this is what I need!" she exclaimed and was surprised to see what she had just said on the screen. Realizing she could simply speak she didn't bother to try to figure out how to erase what was already on there. She began with when they entered the ballroom and made sure not leave anything out. She began crying as she told her story to this computer.

There was a knock at the door and she stopped and looked up. The door opened and in walked in a man, in his 30's probably, with a tray of food. He gave her a small smile as he placed it on the table in front of her.

"Dinner" he said, "I'm sorry it's so late, but we weren't expecting to have someone in detention."

"Thanks" Beverly replied and the man turned to leave. "Wait" she said softly and the man turned back around. "Can you help me with something?"

He walked over to her and looked at the screen. "You got it going but don't know how to stop it?"

"Right."

He showed her how to use the program as well as other things she could do with the computer and left. She put the computer aside and pulled up the plate with food. She began eating and stopped to give a small laugh. "Detention." She said to herself. "I haven't heard that since high school. I don't think they will be able to contact my parents." As she took a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth she began feeling guilty. "Here I am, eating ice cream, when I've done something so horrible." She only ate a couple of spoonfuls and got back to the computer. She decided she wanted to write a letter to her victim, as well as Captain Picard and Starfleet. A couple of hours went by and there was another knock on the door. The same man came in to take the tray.

"I will return in a couple of minutes." He said and left. A few minutes later he returned. "Can you come with me?" He asked. She followed him out the door and down a short hall. "You've been here several hours and have eaten so I figured you'd probably want to use the restroom. And your uniform doesn't look comfortable enough to sleep in," he said as he approached a door and opened it. Beverly stepped inside the room. "I'll be waiting here, in case you need anything else."

The room was small, just enough room for what needed to be there; a shower stall, a toilet, a sink. There was a towel rack next to the sink with a small towel and some sort of lavender garment next to it. She pulled the garment off the rack and extended it in front of her. It was a night gown. It wasn't like those she owned. This one was made of cotton, much thicker than hers and it was muck longer too, with sleeves. She began undressing; thinking about her own night gowns on the Enterprise and how she would probably feel very uncomfortable walking around in one of them here. She finished getting dressed, used the facility, brushed her teeth with the tooth brush on the sink and washed her face. When she was done, she stepped out the room with her uniform folded in her arms. The man took her back to her room; that's really what it was, not a cell.

"I'll take that," he told her and took the uniform from her arms, "and store it until you need it again."

She stood inside and he followed her in. "If you need anything just press this button," and pointed to a small pad next to the door, "and someone will come. Try to rest." And with that he left.


	2. Chapter 2

**DAY 2**

Picard sat in his ready room, PADDs scattered across the desk. He had to send a report to Starfleet and didn't know how to describe what had happened. He also needed to read more about the mediation assignment he was to go on the next day. Then there was his CMO left in custody on Clairmont and the girl in sick bay. The door chimed, taking him away from his racing thoughts.

"Come," he ordered

In came Commander Riker and Counselor Troi. Riker walked over to the captain and gave him yet another PADD.

"This is the report sent by the Clairmont investigator. Dr. Crusher will remain detained until we return with the girl and the situation worked out."

"Thank you, Number One."

"Dr. Selar has taken over sick bay until Dr. Crusher's return. I am going to work on the changes in the duty shifts. Dr. Crusher was scheduled to be on the bridge 3 nights this week and Dr. Selar's schedule must be changed to accommodate her new responsibilities. If there is nothing further…"

"No, thank you." And with that Riker left the ready room. Deanna had told him that she needed to talk to the captain alone before they went to see him and Riker had agreed to keep it short and leave. He really didn't want to be the one to deal with the situation since it involved maintaining relations with someone _Starfleet_ wanted to add to the Federation. That was much more difficult a situation to deal with than their usual investigations for recommendation without the added bonus of an attack from _their_ part to the situation.

"Counselor, how is the girl?"

"She is stable, and will make a full recovery."

"Will you see that proper arrangements are made once she is ready to leave sick bay?"

"Of course, sir."

"I assume you want to talk about Dr. Crusher?"

"Yes, sir. Did you notice anything strange about her during yesterday's briefing?"

"Yes, she seemed anxious. I don't see how that is related to the incident, it was hours before we left and she seemed fine when we beamed down."

"That is true, but her anxiety began as soon as you said 'Clairmont Academy.' She just about panicked. She had been fine before the briefing even began. Then she purposefully avoided me from the moment the briefing was over until we were in the transporter room. Also, when we entered the ballroom and she saw the girl, she became very happy, very excited. Her change to anger was very quick and sudden. Too quick for it to have been natural."

"What do you mean?"

"All emotions are a response to the situation surrounding the person experiencing them, hence, 'emotional response.' When you see someone you love, for example, you feel happiness _after_ seeing them, not before or as you just spot them. Beverly felt happy _after_ she saw the girl. She was feeling this when suddenly her emotions started becoming erratic, from sad to angry. I could feel that she was fighting an internal struggle but it happened too fast for her to resolve or for me to react to it. I do think she was going to approach the girl but I don't think she was going to attack her. There was nothing there to change her feelings. Captain, I do not think she was in control of her actions."

"Did you tell this to the investigator?"

"Yes, but he said he wanted nothing but the facts so I don't know if he put it in the report."

"So our guest in sick bay knows Dr. Crusher?"

"I will speak to her as soon as she is released. For now she is being kept sedated until all her injuries fully heal. She will probably be released tomorrow."

"Thank you, counselor. I will include your findings in my preliminary report to Starfleet."

Troi left and the captain took a deep breath as he picked up one of the various PADDs on his desk and began reading. His thoughts on the situation would have to wait a little longer. There were no immediate lives in danger and his primary responsibility at the moment was the delicate mediation assignment at hand.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Beverly didn't sleep well at all. She had no idea what time it was but she didn't want to try to sleep anymore. She went over to the computer to see if she could remember how to bring up something to read. She was surprised that she actually remembered how and decided to read about their history. She didn't know how much time had passed when there was a knock at the door. She looked up and a young lady came in, much younger than the man from the previous day. She was likely a teenager. The girl gave Beverly a smile and said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Beverly responded.

"Can you please stand up?"

Beverly did as she as told and stoop up besides the desk. The girl took out a small devise from a pocket on her sweater.

"Stand still, it won't hurt at all," she said and pointed the devise at Beverly. A beam of light came out from it and scanned her. The girl looked at the devise once she was done scanning then looked at Beverly. "Come on," she said happily and Beverly followed her out the door.

"My name is Elise," she said as they walked down the hall, "I'll be taking care of you until Jarred comes in, he is running late." They stopped at the door to the restroom. "I can't do as much, just get you stuff, but he won't be long." And she opened the door to let Beverly in. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, there is no hot water. Well, not literally. The program that lets you control the water temperature is corrupt or something like that. They just discovered the problem last night and they are working on it. If they can't fix it soon then you will probably be taken somewhere else to shower by tomorrow, unless you like cold water."

"That's ok, thanks."

"I'll be back in just a second."

"I won't go anywhere" Beverly responded and went inside. The door closed behind her and she began grooming herself as best she could. She brushed her teeth with the same brush she had used the night before and washed her face. Her hair had several tangles and she tried to comb it as much as possible with her fingers. There was another knock on the door and Elise came in.

I wasn't sure what to replicate for you. I doubt you'd want to wear a uniform," she said looking down at what she was wearing. Indeed, it was not something she wanted to wear. The only place she had ever seen uniforms like that was on the holodeck. She wore a white collared button down shirt, a pleated plaid skirt down to her knees, knee high white socks, black mary janes and a Red sweater with the words "Clairmont Academy" embroidered in blue on the upper left side. "I hope you like it," Elise said, handing Beverly a garment, "if it doesn't work for you just let me know, no hard feelings."

Beverly took the garment from her hands and extended it in front of her. It was a blue dress, the same color as her uniform. It was long sleeved and had a V neck. It was long, probably down to her ankles and the fabric had tiny stars on it of different colors.

"I figured you might want to wear a familiar color. Oh, and I thought you might want these too" and handed her a pair of panties. Beverly blushed lightly as she took them. Elise laughed a little, "I can't imagine if Jarred had given them to you what colour you might have turned." And stepped out.

Beverly began getting dressed and was thankful for the girl's kindness. She had not expected that, especially after attacking a student. She thought about the embarrassment of being handed your undergarments by a stranger and what other humiliations came with being held in custody for an extended period of time. _And who is Jarred? _ she thought. She finished getting dressed and looked down at her feet. She had not been barefoot for too long in years. Only in her quarters, usually she was going to bed or in the shower. She went outside and Elise was waiting for her. Elise took her back to the room, only commenting on the dress, and told her she would return with her breakfast.

Beverly sat on the bed and waited. A few minutes later Elsie returned with a tray of food. She expected her to simply put the tray on the table and leave. But she didn't. She put the try on the table and pulled it back towards the chair. Beverly stood up and went to the table. It was oatmeal, toast, jam and orange juice. To her surprise, Elise jumped on the bed and sat with her legs crossed in front of her.

"You're not afraid of me?" Beverly asked as she sat down to eat.

"Nope. Why should I be?"

"Because of what I did," she responded, feeling her stomach turn at the verbal admission of what she had done.

Elsie looked at her for a long time, making Beverly feel uncomfortable. "If you had really wanted to hurt her you would not have cried all night."

Beverly looked at her surprised. _How did she know?_ she wondered.

"There is a reason you don't change your clothes in here," she said looking up over the door. Beverly followed her gaze and was surprised to see a small device with a yellow light. She had not noticed it before. "It only gets turned off when Jared is in here."

"You stayed up all night watching me?"

"No, students aren't allowed to do night watch. I read the report before coming in."

"Oh, I see." She was silent a moment before asking, "How old are you?"

"17" she answered. Then she looked at her again for several minutes again. "You know her from a long time ago, don't you?" Elise asked.

Beverly turned bright red.

"I won't tell if you want to keep it a secret, but it's quite obvious. Well, to someone who knows her very well it is."

"You know her personally?"

"Oh, yes! She's one of my closest friends and our team captain. We spend a lot of time together."

There was a knock on the door and in stepped the man from the previous day. "I see you've made yourself comfortable," he said to Elise. Elise stood up and said to Beverly, "Nice talking to you" then turned to the man and said, "I'll see you later." and left. Beverly had eaten enough, she wasn't very hungry.

The man looked at her for a moment and asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm good, I guess."

"I just realized that I have not introduced myself. I've always known the person in detention. I'm Jarred, and I'm the detention counselor. I always know in advance if someone might come in, what they've done, and I meet with them before they are put in their room. Detention is for the students here, I specialize in adolescent psychology. So, you see, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with you."

"I see."

"I'm also a Betazoid."

"Just my luck!"

"You were planning on lying?"

"No. Our ship's counselor is half Betazoid. She has a habit of making me talk about things I don't want to talk about."

"I've been accused of the same." He walked over to the bed and sat down. "I already read your side of the story. Do you want to talk about it?"

Beverly looked at him closely, she was not sure if she could trust him. What if he twisted what she said and it worked against her?

"What we talk about stays between us unless you are planning on harming someone else or yourself."

"OK" she responded.

"So you know Bevy?"

"Yes, you can say that." _Does everybody know?!_ She thought, not remembering he had read her version of events the night before.

"How do you know her?"

Beverly fell silent. She looked him straight in the eye as she remembered giving birth to a beautiful little girl. Tears started spilling down her face as she told her story in her head. She was ready to let him know but did not want to say those words out loud. Maybe it was a good thing he was a telepath. Jarred stood up and walked across the tiny room towards Beverly and pulled out the table in front of her. He took her hand and guided her towards the bed. She sat on the bed and he sat next to her, holding her hand tightly as she cried.

"I understand what happened, why you brought her here. I don't understand why you attacked her."

"I don't know. That's not what I wanted to do. I tried stopping but it was like I was not in control. How is she?"

"I don't know. Our doctors could not treat her so the Enterprise took her. The last we heard was that they would be able to treat her."

Beverly was relieved; she had full trust in her staff's ability to treat her. She suddenly fully understood what her being on board the Enterprise meant and felt herself going into a panic.

"There is nothing you can do about it, it won't help to panic."

"I know," she said plainly. Her reaction had been more instinctive than actual worry. Picard finding out was the least of her worries. She was being detained on an unallied planet and talking to a child psychologist. She had to remind herself that she had to tackle one problem at a time.

"You said it felt as if the emotions were being thrown at you." She gave him a puzzled look; they had not talked about it. "I read it when I was helping you, remember?"

"Yes. Sorry, I forgot about that."

"Describe what you meant by that."

"I don't know how else to describe it. It was almost like something was in me, controlling me."

"You think some sort of entity possessed you?"

"I'm not sure, but that is a possibility."

There was a soft beep and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small devise. "Yes?" he said to it. A voice came from it and said, "Someone's science experiment exploded at the house again."

"I'm on my way," he responded and turned to Beverly. "I have to go take care of that, but I will be back tomorrow." He rubbed her back a couple of times then stood up and left.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Kayleen Lampson sat in her office feeling very upset. She had requested information regarding Dr. Crusher from Starfleet for her investigation and they had denied it. Apparently, they had just received the Captain's report and needed to go through it before responding to her. She was also told that absolutely no official was allowed to talk to her until she received her legal counsel, which would be days away. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

In walked Jarred. "Good evening Ms. Lampson, how are you?"

"Very frustrated with Starfleet!"

"They are not cooperating?"

"No. What can you tell me about her?"

"You know that our conversations are confidential, Ms. Lampson."

"I know, but there are exceptions to that confidentiality."

"She does not plan on hurting anyone else or herself."

"That's _all_ you can give me?!"

"There is something more that happened yesterday. I am going to ask her if she will allow me to talk to you about it. Kayleen, I know that what she did was horrible, but she is not a horrible person."

"Just tell me one thing, is violence in her nature."

"Not as far as I can tell."

"Thank you Jarred. You have given me some peace of mind. I'm having a hard time believing that someone could attack without provocation."

"You are welcome."

"Then I will just wait until her ship returns to figure out what happened. Thank you for stopping by. You may go."

"Good evening. I will see you again if she allows me to." Jarred left the office. Kayleen put some things on her desk away and decided to go home. She usually cleared her desk completely, leaving only the computer on the desk, but she was in no mood for that. The only items she put away were those she would not be using the next day. Everything else was just left as it was and she took out some of her frustration on the door, which she slammed on her way out. The building was now empty and she knew no one had heard the door.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Captain Picard was reading something on his computer screen when he heard his door chime.

"Come." It was Riker. "What can I do for you, Will?"

"Captain, we will be arriving at the planet in 13 hours, at 0900 hours." Riker said, and looked down at the captain. Picard knew what that look meant.

"Thank you, Will. I will go get some rest as soon as I finish this last article."

Riker smiled and left the ready room. He sat on the bridge in the captain's chair and began reading a PADD. 20 minutes later the Captain left his ready room and went to the turbo lift. He waited until the doors swished in front of the captain then he stood up and said, "Data, you have the bridge." Data stood from his chair and took the captain's seat as Riker went to the turbo lift. It was time to call it a night.


	3. Chapter 3

**DAY 3**

Beverly sat on the bed, bored, just thinking random thoughts. After Jarred had left she had had nothing to do. She had lost interest in the reading and her only other visitors had been a silent man who brought her lunch and dinner and a woman who took her to the restroom to change for bed. After that it had been another restless night. She had no idea what time it was or how many hours had passed. After all, it was a punishment and it certainly felt like one. Sure, this was certainly luxurious compared to a starship's brig, but the punishment was the same: isolation and loneliness.

The door swished open, startling her out of her thoughts. Elise came in, looking very excited and holding a bunch of stuff in her arms.

"Come on!" she said, grabbing Beverly by the arm and pulling her out the room and down the hall. "Guess what! It's fixed!" she told her excitedly as she pulled her into the restroom. "I replicated another dress like yesterday's but in a different colour. I thought this pink was nice. Do you like flowers?"

"Yes," Beverly said, feeling a bit confused and overwhelmed. It felt like too much excitement after being bored for so long.

"Good. These smell like flowers," she said, handing her some bottles. She turned to the wall of the shower stall and touched a small pad on it as she explained how the shower worked. "The highest temperature is 90°, I guess so that you don't use the water for coffee, and the lowest temperature is 0° since frozen water can't flow out. Enjoy!" she said with a big smile.

"Thank you, Elise. For everything." Beverly told her, finally being able to smile.

"No problem!" she said with a smile. "I'm going to go change your sheets while you shower then I will return."

"OK"

And Elise left, leaving Beverly alone. She went to the pad on the wall and chose a temperature just as she had been taught and tapped it twice. The sound of the shower echoed in the little room and the steam quickly filled it up. She unfolded the dress to put in over the towel rack and out fell a pair of panties and a bra to the floor. She picked them up realizing that Elise "hid" them so that she did not feel embarrassed again. Everything else Elise had handed her she had been put in the sink and putting the under garments in the sink she undressed and took the bottles into the shower stall. She put them on the floor and just stood under the water for a long time before picking up a bottle and beginning to bathe. She was enjoying her shower when she heard the door open, startling her and causing her to gasp and let go of a bottle in her hand which made a loud noise as it hit the other bottles and the floor.

"Just me," Elise said. "I made your bed and put more fruit in since I noticed the bowl was empty. Do you like peaches? There were some very nice ones in the kitchen so I took two and some grapes. Jarred says that grapes are full of stuff our bodies need. I don't quite know if that's true but they are also good."

"Thank you. And yes, grapes have many good things. They have vitamins A, C, B6, folate, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, and antioxidants called flavanoids. They can help with..."

"You sound like a doctor," she interrupted.

"I am a doctor."

"So I guess you won't be enjoying the Romulan Ale I snuck in for us?"

"Elise!" Beverly shouted, almost leaving the shower stall to confront her.

"I'm joking!" she said, laughing hysterically.

"Now that you've almost given me a heart attack in the shower, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How did you end up doing this? Helping out in detention?"

"I volunteered."

"So detention is run by volunteers?"

"No. The RA from the house the student lives is the one that takes care of the needs of the one in detention. But you are not a student so you don't have an RA. Jarred can't do it all on his own since he has counselling appointments during the day so he asked us at the house if anyone would volunteer. So I did."

"What's an RA?"

"Resident Assistant. Everyone lives in a house with other students and one adult. The adult is the resident assistant. He is the RA at our house."

"How many students live in a house?"

"There can be up to 8 students in each house since there are 9 bedrooms. The RA gets the large room. Our house has 7 students, 4 boys and 3 girls: Bevy, my sister Gabrielle, and me. Have you ever had to live with boys? Their minds are in another galaxy."

"No, I haven't. You live with Bevy?"

"Yup, Bevy, Gabrielle, and I have lived together for 12 years. Well, I've lived with Gabrielle my whole life."

"Elise, how do I turn off the water?"

"You push the button under the shower head, but I'll turn it off for you." She pressed the pad on the stall wall and the water stopped. "I'll get your breakfast while you get dressed."

"Ok."

When Beverly heard the door close she stepped out of the stall, grabbed the towel and wrapped herself. She carefully wringed water out of her hair. She had managed to untangle most of it with the soap and water and didn't want to tangle it more than it already was. She thought about maybe asking for a brush and continued to dry herself and get dressed. She was picking up her dirty clothes off the floor when Elise opened the door and took the stuff from Beverly and tossed it back on the floor.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "I've got nothing to do today. Come eat! I got something you're going to like!"

They went back to the room and Elise led her inside. She immediately recognized that smell. "Mmmm" she said.

"I didn't sneak in any ale, but I did manage to convince Ralph to give me some coffee for you."

Beverly walked over to the tray on the table and was shocked. There were two croissants, a small dish with butter, and some fresh berries next to a cup of coffee. "How did you know?"

"I've got my secrets" she said in a teasing voice.

"You're also a telepath."

"Nope! 100% human. A little bird told me you might like that."

Beverly decided not to ask any more questions and enjoy her breakfast. Elise began talking about her latest science project while Beverly ate. She finished both croissants and all the berries and was now simply drinking her coffee, feeling much better than she had been feeling.

"So, because one of my house mates thought it was interesting and touched it, it caused my experiment to explode. Now I have to start all over again."

"I heard about an explosion at Jared's house. I had no idea it was yours."

They talked for several hours and Beverly very much welcomed the company. Though, she noticed, Elise seemed to choose her words carefully at times as if she was trying to hide something. Had it been in any other situation Beverly might have tried to find out what it was. But she just wanted company.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Picard was in his quarters getting dressed between sips of earl grey. He had planned this morning on looking very different. Dr. Crusher was suppose to have shown up an hour ago and they would be having breakfast, discussing his mission and other trivialities as they had many mornings. He felt silly at how out of sorts he was feeling without her. He finished getting dressed and sat in his chair to finish his tea. He had about 40 minutes before he had to head to the transporter room. His thoughts stayed on his CMO the whole time, wondering how she was doing, how she was being treated. _What happened, Beverly? _he thought. _Why did you do it?_ He had never liked having her away for any length of time, but knowing she was in custody, imprisoned, made him very uneasy. He knew she would not be treated in a cruel or inhumane manner, but didn't know how their prison system worked. Actually, a prison system had never been mentioned. He wanted to go to his computer and research the topic but realized it was time to go to the transporter room. His research would have to wait.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Counselor Troi walked in to sick bay and was greeted by Nurse Ogawa.

"Good morning, Alyssa."

"Good morning," she answered.

"How is your patient?"

"Good. I am ready to release her, but… umm..."

"What is it, Alyssa?"

"You need to see her. I still have some questions for her." Alyssa led her to a biobed on the other side of the room where Deanna could see a girl sitting. As they got closer the girl looked at them.

"My god!" Deanna exclaimed in a whisper before she could stop herself. They got closer and Nurse Ogawa told the girl,

"Bevy, this is counselor Troi."

"Hi" the girl said

"Hello. You can call me Deanna. I'll be showing you around and keeping you comfortable while you are here."

"I need to fill in some details into your medical file," Alyssa said. "Can you answer some questions?"

"Sure"

"What is your full name?"

"Beverly; B-E-V-E-R-L-Y, Cheryl; C-H-E-R-Y-L" she said, waiting for Nurse Ogawa to fill in her PADD. The nurse and counselor looked at each other, trying to control their expressions. Deanna looked at the girl again. She looked like a clone of her friend, Beverly Crusher. Her wavy red hair, her bright blue eyes, her delicate facial features. She was sure that if she saw a picture of Dr. Crusher when she was young that this is what she looked like.

"Last name: Picard. P-I-C-A-R-D"

They tried to control their expressions as best as possible. Realizing the girl was noticing their uneasiness, Deanna thought of something to say.

"You sound like you give your name often."

"I do, at every dance competition."

"Your date of birth," interrupted Alyssa.

"February 8, 2354"

"Ok, that's it. If you feel any head pain or dizziness come back immediately." And she walked away, followed by Deanna.

"Keep this quiet" she told Alyssa.

"I will" and Deanna walked back to the girl.

"Beverly, why don't we start by going to your quarters?"

"Everyone calls me Bevy" and she slid off the bio bed. Once she was standing she looked down at what she was wearing awkwardly.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't think I've ever worn pants before. It feels strange."

"Really? What do you usually wear?"

"My uniform," she said and began walking away, looking down at her legs, "unless I'm in dance clothes or sleeping clothes. What happened?"

They walked out of sick bay and headed to the turbolift. Deanna was glad Bevy was busy looking at her covered legs. She didn't want to start any more rumors than what was already going around.

"There was an incident; your doctors couldn't treat you so we brought you onboard so our doctors could treat you. Unfortunately, our captain had a time sensitive issue to take care of and we had to leave before you were better. We will be back in four days, 3 if things go well."

"Oh." She was silent as they entered the turbolift.

"Deck 10" Deanna called.

"I meant my clothes, what happened to them?"

"The doctor removed them in order to treat you."

"They had to take off my clothes to take care of my head?" she said laughing.

"It's procedure."

They got off the lift and began walking down the hall. This deck had nothing on it besides quarters and Ten Forward on the opposite side so there weren't many people walking around. They only passed two people on their way to Bevy's quarters. Deanna pressed the pad next to the door and the doors swished opened, letting them walk in.

"WOW!" Bevy exclaimed. "This is huge! I've always just had a room with my bed and stuff. This is like a teacher's apartment."

"I'm glad it exceeded expectations."

Deanna went over to the sofa and Bevy followed, sitting besides her.

"I know that look," Bevy said, "We're gonna talk, aren't we?"

Deanna gave a small laugh, "Yes. How did you know."

"Our RA just happens to be a counselor too. So I see that look not just when it's directed to me but to my other house mates."

"I see. What is an RA?"

"Resident Assistant. It's the adult at every house of students. Keeps us from blowing up the place, I guess," and giggled. "Not really, we're not _that _bad. He watches over us. Every house has one and ours just happens to be a counselor. But that's not the worst part; he's Betazoid so you can't get away with _anything_!"

"Then I guess I should let you know that I'm half Betazoid."

"Just my luck!" she said smiling. "So, I guess I have to stay here until we get back and stay out of trouble."

"Why do you think that?"

"We're on board the Enterprise, aren't we?" Deanna nodded. "I know my biological parents are here and probably don't want anything to do with me."

"Who are your biological parents?"

Bevy looked up as if trying to recall something. "My mother is Dr. Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer and my father is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Federation Flag Ship. At least that's what I was told."

"By whom?"

She opened her mouth to speak and then stopped, looking down at her lap. "I think I've said too much."

"What do you mean? What you just said are things I already knew."

"You're not supposed to know where I got the information from. Well, not _you_, but here on the Enterprise. I shouldn't even be here. I should have listened and just stayed home while the tour was going on. 'Just stay far away and this will be over soon and we'll be back to normal.' He told me. But I wanted to practice and didn't think you'd be going to the Dance Center."

"Who told you? Your RA?" Deanna could sense Bevy was feeling very guilty by not obeying. She put her hand over hers in reassurance.

"I'm not allowed to tell. It's supposed to be a secret. I've screwed up big time!"

Deanna could tell this was really upsetting her and decided maybe she should change the subject but couldn't figure out what else to talk about.

"You must be hungry. Why don't we have some lunch and get to know each other. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

They spent the rest of the day together in Bevy's quarters. Bevy had lots of questions about her parents and their lives. She seemed to know a lot of personal information about them, things she could not have gotten from any file, but would not tell who or how she got that information. Deanna gave her the information she wanted as best as she could. The captain was due back soon and she had to go talk to him.

"Bevy, you are 16 years old and I think you are old enough to understand some things. I don't know the circumstances which lead to you being at Clairmont Academy. Neither one of your parents has ever mentioned you. I believe your mother was fully aware that you were on that planet. She was very happy to see you. I still don't understand why she attacked you but I believe it wasn't her own will. I need to tell the captain about you. I will assume that he does not know about you simply because he has never given me any hint that he knows about having a child. If he doesn't know he will want a DNA test. If that were to happen, it doesn't mean that he doesn't believe you, he just likes being 100% sure of things."

"I understand."

"He is due back in half an hour. If you need anything don't hesitate to call me."

"Ok. I'll stay here. I'm told I look a lot like my mother and if she doesn't want anyone to know about me then I should keep it that way."

"I will see you later." And Deanna left her in her quarters and made her way to the transporter room to wait for the captain. She took her time to get there, trying to find the right words to use, the right location. Should she suggest her office, his office, his quarters? She would let him decide. She tried to anticipate how he might react to the news. Happy, upset, angry, confused? She arrived at the transporter room 10 minutes before he was scheduled to return. She talked to Chief O'Brien while she waited, feeling pleased to hear about Keiko and Molly. Finally, the call came and the captain dematerialized in front of them.

"Welcome back, Captain. How did things go?" Deanna asked.

"Very well," he said to her then turned to Miles and said, "Thank you Mr. O'Brien." The captain and Deanna walked out together.

"It seems to be more of a misunderstanding. I expect to have this resolved tomorrow."

"That's very good news." She said and waited until they were on the turbolift to continue.

"Captain, we need to talk in private. It is somewhat of an urgent matter."

"Is Beverly ok? Did we receive a communiqué from Clairmont Academy?"

"No, sir. We have no news from Clairmont. I have spoken to the girl. We need to talk."

"Very well," he said and they headed off to his quarters. Once inside the captain went to the replicator and asked for a cup of earl grey.

"Would you like anything, counselor?"

"No, thank you."

The captain walked over to his chair and sat across from Deanna on the sofa. He waited for her to begin.

"She doesn't quite know Dr. Crusher. She knows _of _Dr. Crusher." There was no easy way to say it. She took a deep breath and said, "She's her daughter."

Picard had a surprised look. Beverly had never mentioned having had another child and wondered why she had not kept her. Her and Jack had had a wonderful relationship, as far as he knew, and saw no reason to have sent her away.

"That is certainly a surprise," he said. "I had no idea. How is she doing?" he asked and continued to drink his tea.

"She is well. But, captain, that is not all. She's not Jack's daughter."

The captain was now in shock. Beverly had cheated on her husband, his best friend. He found comfort in tea as he tried to figure when this happened and if Jack had known. He was away quite often since Beverly had decided to stay on Earth while they were both on the _Stargazer_. But Jack was always talking about letters he received from her and letters he would send. They were very close friends and Jack would have told him if they were having any marital problems.

"Her name is Beverly Cheryl Picard," Deanna said, not knowing how else to tell him he was the father. At hearing her last name Picard spit out his tea and stood up.

"What?!" he said almost shouting. _No, it can't be!_ he thought.

"That is simply the name on her birth certificate, there are no parents actually listed. However, her resemblance to Beverly is astonishing." She didn't need her empathic abilities to know how shocked the captain was.

"That can't be possible. Counselor, I think I'd remember having an intimate relation with Beverly. It's never happened. Especially while she was married. It's just not possible." He desperately thought of other possible reasons for his name to be there, but he could not think of any that made any sense.

"Captain, she is sure you are her father. She won't tell me how she gets her information but she knows a lot about you, more than what you can get from reading a personnel file. She knows a lot about Beverly too. She has many questions and I tried answering them as best as I could but there are things I do not know. It seems, things you don't know either."

"We must have a DNA analysis done, be absolutely sure. Someone could be feeding this child wrong information."

"And if the DNA confirms what she says?"

"Then I need to speak with Dr. Crusher immediately. I need answers!"

"She is under the impression that neither of her parents wants anything to do with her and plans on staying in her quarters the whole time she in on board. But I know she would really like to get to know you."

Picard thought about what the counselor said, about the whole situation. _Could _he be the father of that child? And if he was, what was he going to do? He had never been comfortable with children and they were easy enough to avoid. He couldn't avoid a child that was his, however. If this was his child he would have to confront his biggest discomfort. Deanna felt his hesitation, his confusion.

"You can think about all the possibilities tonight. I will inform nurse Ogawa that you'd like to have a DNA test done in the morning."

"Why nurse Ogawa?"

"She is the only one that knows. Dr. Selar was not in sick bay when she was released. I asked her to keep it quiet until we get everything straightened out."

"Thank you counselor, for thinking of everything."

"I will let you know in the morning the time the test will be conducted. If you'd like I can have Bevy go into sick bay to give her DNA sample before you arrive, if you don't want to meet her yet."

Picard thought about the offer. It would certainly be awkward meeting his daughter for the first time in sick bay.

"Thank you for the offer but it will not be necessary. Whatever the results, I will have to meet her anyway. I don't want her to think I am avoiding her. But I'm afraid I will not be able to do it in the morning. I must finish down on the planet in the morning. I expect to be back on board by 1300 hours."

"I will have her schedule it as soon as you come back. I am going to go check up on her. If you need to talk do not hesitate to call me regardless of the time. I know that for something like this you would rely on Beverly for support. I will do my best in her absence."

"Thank you"

Deanna left the captain's quarters and headed for Ten Forward. She needed a chocolate sundae to give her the energy to deal with the situation. She was torn between the captain, her best friend, and the young girl. The captain needed her guidance. The only other person he might have turned to was not there, in fact, she was the cause of all the trouble. Her best friend needed her too. She was far away at the moment, but Deanna couldn't imagine what the circumstances could have been that led her to make the decisions she had made. She desperately wished she could go to Beverly and give her a hug and ask her what had happened, reassure her that all problems had a solution, that things would work out. She knew Beverly well enough to know that this must have been very traumatic for her to have made such a drastic decision. Then there was the girl. So young and caught in the middle of this big mess. She needed a friendly face in this place she was convinced was full of hate and rejection towards her.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Beverly had enjoyed talking with Elise. She had stayed all morning and left after taking her lunch away. Now that she was gone she remembered that she had forgotten to ask about a hair brush. It would just have to wait. It's not like she had to be anywhere where her hair had to be tidy. She spent her time after lunch simply laying on the bed, thinking. She thought about many things Elise said about her daughter, how she was funny and captain of the dance team. How she had won many awards for her dancing and was considered the best dancer in the professional dance world throughout the quadrant. _Must be in the genes_ she thought. She also remembered that Elise mentioned that she was very smart. Suddenly, something she had said caught her attention. It had not seemed significant when she had said it, but now that she could dissect what she said, word for word, it seemed odd:

"I used to think she must be some sort of genius, but I guess being able to solve complex problems in your mind must be genetic."

_How could she have made such a conclusion?_ she thought. She had not solved any problems while she had been there. She was thinking about it when there was a knock on the door. She expected to see Elise but instead Jared walked in.

"Sorry I'm not as fun as Elise," he said. Beverly blushed in response. "You blush easily, it's quite cute." Being called cute only made her blush even more. "I wanted to check in with you before bringing you dinner. How are you holding up?"

"Well, actually. I've never been detained before, but I hope I never am again. This hardly feels like a punishment."

"If you were 15 it would feel like a cruel punishment. At least that's what I've been told many times. Since you are doing so well I will go get you your dinner." And with that he left. He walked down the hall, opposite way from the facilities, and made a right turn at the end of it. A couple of steps more and he had arrived at the kitchen. He had made the dinner order before going in to see Beverly and it would likely be ready. As he waited for her tray he thought of how he was going to approach her. He knew she did not want to talk about the situation, as if keeping it all in her head gave her the possibility that it might not be true and saying it out loud made it real. It was real, Bevy was real, and weather she liked it or not she had to deal with it. _But how do I deal with it? _he thought as a man approached him and handed him a tray.

"You looked puzzled" the man said.

"I am."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"The woman we have in detention, she needs help. But I don't know how to help her. All I've ever worked with is teens. I know how to get them to talk, to work out their problems. I have no idea how to work with an adult with adult problems."

The man thought for a moment before speaking.

"If I find a vegetable I have never worked with before I try it in the salad, the soup, the pasta sauce. Unless someone tells me it tastes awful I treat it like any other vegetable, regardless of the origin."

Jared gave him a puzzled look as he tried to draw a connection, but he could not. "I don't understand."

"Don't think of her as an adult, just as a person. Help her the only way you can. Treat her like you would any other student. It just might work for her. Don't stop unless you see it is not working."

He thought about what the man was saying; to treat Beverly like one of the students. Would she really fall for one of those tactics? It was certainly worth a try since he didn't have any other ideas.

"Thanks, Ralph."

Jared took the tray and walked back down the hall. He was about to turn left onto the hall were Beverly's room was when he saw the replicator. He remembered a similar case when he was doing an internship. A girl had been confined for several weeks. She refused to talk to anyone and was very angry. He had come up with a clever idea to get her to talk. She had felt forced at first, but soon began talking more openly. He looked through the catalog of items that could be replicated and found what he needed. He added a few details and then had it replicated. He put it in the pocket on his jacket and headed to her room.

"Sorry for the delay," he told Beverly, "I had to take care of something." He placed the tray on the table and watched Beverly sit at the chair to eat. He then sat on the bed.

"I saw that you had company most of the day."

"Yes, Elise is quite pleasant. I don't know why she is so nice to me. I hurt her best friend."

"Her kindness is one of her weaknesses. Elise loves everyone and can always find the good in a person. Her history teacher once had her referred to me because she became very angry at Adolph Hitler being called a monster and began pointing out his qualities."

Beverly fell silent as she ate. She knew he wanted to talk to her, wanted her to talk, but she didn't want to talk about it. She hated confronting her feelings. She ate slowly trying to stall time but found she was full and had no choice but to face him.

"Are you going to meet her when she gets back? He asked.

"Maybe. Yes, I am."

"Have you thought about what you are going to tell her?"

"The truth."

"How about her father?"

Beverly didn't say anything. She didn't want to face him.

"How about your family, her father's family, what are you going to tell them?"

No answer. He decided it was time to pull his trick from up his sleeve. Well, from out his pocket.

"Come, sit here" he told her, placing his hand on the bed right next to him. She stood up and sat next to him. He reached into his pocket and took out a hair brush. It was silver, shinny, with a "B" engraved on it.

"This is your brush" he told her and brushed a small section of her hair. "But I will be keeping it. This brush has some rules. I will only use it as long as you cooperate with me, you must talk to me. If you don't want to play by the rules then I won't use it and you can take care of your hair when you get back on your ship, whenever that will be." He ran his fingers through the part that he had brushed out. "But it does look much nicer after it's been brushed."

Beverly looked at the brush. She wanted to brush her hair, but wasn't sure how much she wanted it or how she felt about someone else doing it. _It's probably some sort of shrink trick _she thought. He had said that their conversations were confidential, and she would probably never see him again after she left, so in a way it was even better than talking to Deanna since she saw her almost every day. He was probably going to try everything he could think of to make her talk, so she was just avoiding the inevitable if she didn't talk. If she was detained for an extended period of time it might help to trust someone other than a 17 year old girl.

She sighed in defeat and said, "Ok," as she turned her back towards him. He began brushing her hair and asked once again,

"What are you going to tell her father?"

"I guess I will have to tell him the truth. I'm afraid it might hurt our friendship, that it will hurt our professional relationship."

"That is always the risk with the truth. What are you going to do if it does?"

"I don't know."

"What will you tell your family?"

"I don't have any family other than my son. I don't know what to tell him. I don't want to ruin his perception of his father."

"So you have a son?"

"Yes. He is 5 years older. He is currently at Starfleet Academy. I haven't heard from him in a while. I'd hate to contact him just to give him bad news."

"He enjoyed being an only child?"

"Not bad news that he has a sister, but that his mother and father aren't the great people he thought us to be. I also don't want to ruin his admiration for Jean-Luc."

"Are you sure he will think you are bad people?"

"No, but he might."

Jared had completely brushed out all the tangles in her hair. It was now soft and silky. No one had brushed her hair since she was a little girl and this was making her feel like a child again. She felt Jared gather her hair in his hands and he began to braid it.

"Being here, having to be escorted to the restroom, spending time with Elise, having you brush my hair; it makes me feel like I'm a kid."

"Good, because adults tend to think they can handle all their problems on their own. And I have a feeling your adult side would push me far away and would just be sitting here feeling sorry for herself." He tied a ribbon at the bottom of her braid and said, "There, now you're all pretty and ready for bed" in a teasing voice. This caused her turn bright red, not only in embarrassment but in anger at being teased. "Maybe I should start calling you Rosie" he continued to tease. Beverly shifted her position, now facing him, and controlled herself from slapping him. He stood up and gave her a kiss on her forehead and went to take her tray. "I'll be right back, Rosie," he called as he walked out the door.

Beverly sat there, feeling very angry. She had put up with his counseling her as a kid but she did not want to be treated as one. She was a grown woman and should be treated as such. She stood up, feeling as if she could not contain herself seating, and paced the small room. Several minutes passed before Jared returned. He went right up to her and took both her hand in his.

"Why are you so upset?" he asked

"I am _not _a kid! I don't like to be talked down to like I'm a kid and I don't like being treated like I'm a kid." To Beverly's surprise tears started coming down her face. "So stop treating me like one and stop making me feel like one!" Jared wiped the tears from her face with his hands and more soon followed. He put his arms around her and put her face on his shoulders. He gently rubbed her back.

"Beverly, why are you really crying?"

After a few minutes she answered, "Because I'm horrible. I slept with my husband's best friend." She cried even more. It took her several minutes to re-compose herself. She stepped away from Jared and sat on the bed. To her surprise she didn't feel as bad as she had been feeling.

"I'm sorry I treated you like a kid, but that is the only way I know how to do my job. I don't counsel adults. But it worked, you responded to what I did and now you feel better, don't you?"

Beverly nodded, "I do feel better. Sorry I snapped at you, you were only trying to help."

"It's alright. Lets go take you to get ready for bed." He stood up and she followed as they repeated the same routine she had done for three days now. They returned and Jared asked Beverly, "I'd like your consent to talk to our director about some of the things we've talked about."

"What things?"

"About your side of what happened, how you don't think you were in control of your actions. That you are Bevy's mother. And my assessment on your mental state."

"What _is_ your assessment?"

"You are mentally stable, not psychotic."

"That's reassuring. What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know; nothing like this has ever happened. But I can almost guarantee that you are more like just collateral for now. Once Bevy is returned then you will be sent back to your ship and have Starfleet decide what to do. Keeping you here would be very complicated; keeping you in detention would be impractical. Telling her what we've talked about can help them agree with returning you."

"Ok, you can speak to the director."

"One more thing. Someone wants to visit you tomorrow. I wasn't sure if you wanted visitors so I told them I'd ask."

"Who wants to visit me?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, yes."

"I can't tell you who it is."

"Why not?

"I think I'm nice enough to allow you to have visitors, don't you think? You are being punished, remember? Elise spends a lot of time with you and I _could_ tell her to tend to her duties and leave you alone. Now you are questioning my rules?"

Beverly crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the obvious tease, not realizing the gestures.

"And you wonder why I treat you like a teenager?" he said, looking her up and down, still teasing. She realized what she had done and stood up to face away from him. She was very frustrated at how she was acting. She didn't know why she responded like that.

"Relax, I treat you like a teenager, you react like one. That's natural, and not much you can do to control it. But it helps you express your emotions, which is the whole point of me being here. Don't try to be the adult, it doesn't matter here. When I'm in here with you, alone, you are no different to me than any other teenager so don't be afraid to act like one. I won't judge. And I won't tell anyone. Notice that I don't take notes. When I leave I go write a report on our progress, what we've talked about. I don't include that you roll your eyes or that you start crying when you feel frustrated. Just let me help you the only way I know how, ok?"

Beverly turned around to face him and with a mischievous smile she said, "So you won't be telling me who's coming tomorrow?"

"No," he said with a smile. "Elise will be here in the morning. Your visitor will probably be coming in the early afternoon, shortly after lunch, probably. If you'd like I can come by during lunch so I can tidy your hair," he said, showing her the brush.

"Ok," Beverly agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night."

Jared left and she was alone again. She had no idea what time it was but since she had nothing to do she decided to go to bed. She dimmed the lights as far as she could. Since there were no windows in the room turning the lights completely off made the room too dark for comfort. She laid down and closed her eyes.

Once again, she could not sleep. She just tossed and turned, crying at times. She didn't even know why she was crying. She had no idea how much time had passed when she heard a soft knock on the door. Jared came in. She sat up, wondering what was going on. She didn't think it could be morning already. He went to her and sat next to her.

"Aren't you a doctor?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," she answered, puzzled.

"Then I'm sure you know how important sleep is. How harmful it is to your health not to get enough sleep. Night watch tells me you have not slept since you got here. I'm required to do something at a third night of no sleep." He took a scanning device that was in his hand and began scanning her.

"It's probably just insomnia. I've had it for years."

"Might be, but this looks more like stress. That is to be expected." He stood up and said, "Get back in bed." She did as she was told.

"You think tucking me in will help?" she said teasingly.

"I hadn't thought of that, but I will give it a shot" he responded, gathering her blanket and covering her. "This will help you sleep," he said showing her what was obviously some sort of hypospray. "You will feel a slight pinch, more like a prick." He pulled up the sleeve on her nightgown and pressed it against her arm. She jumped at the prick. He put the hypospray back in his pocket and pulled the chair next to the bed and sat down. "I need to stay until you fall asleep, in case it doesn't work or you have some sort of unusual reaction to it."

"Thanks. What time is it?"

"It's 3 in the morning. Sweet dreams, Rosie."

"I'd say something about you calling me Rosie but I can't really think."

"Don't fight it, just sleep. You can throw your tantrum when you wake up."


	4. Chapter 4

**DAY 4**

Beverly stirred in her bed, beginning to wake up. She realized she had been sleeping as she finally opened her eyes slightly, enough to confirm that she was still on Clairmont. _Guess that wasn't a dream_ she thought.

"Jared knocked you out good," said a voice. Beverly tilted her head to see Elise seating on the chair. She sat up on the bed rubbing her eyes before opening them all the way.

"How long have you been here?"

"Not too long, maybe 30 minutes."

"What time is it?"

"9 am. You slept 6 hours. I guess that's better than nothing."

"Yes. I certainly feel better."

"Do you want to shower first or eat first?"

"Can I wake up first?" she asked jokingly which made Elise laugh.

"I just thought you might want to get on with your day since you have an exciting day today."

"I do?"

"You're getting a visitor! Didn't Jared tell you?!"

"Yes, he did. But I don't even know who it is so how can I be excited. I already get a lovely visitor every day" she said, nodding towards Elise.

"Well, _I _know this visitor and happen to know that this visitor is very excited to see you."

"Who is it?"

"Can't tell. 'It might add unneeded anxiety' I'm told."

"How well do you know this visitor?" she said, getting up and walking towards the door. Elise got the hint and opened the door. Once outside they started walking towards the restroom.

"Very well, actually. So you have nothing to worry about, this visitor is very nice," she said and opened the door to the restroom letting Beverly in. "Everything is already here. I'm going to get your breakfast. Maybe I can get you the same as yesterday, but I can't promise. Or would you like to have something from the menu?"

"No, I'll have the same as yesterday."

"Ok, I'll be back." And she left her alone.

Beverly stood there a moment before beginning to undress. She untied the ribbon that held her braid together and set it on the sink. As she unbraided her hair she felt how soft it felt. She had not had a chance to run her fingers through her hair after it had been brushed out since Jared began braiding her hair without telling her. She looked at her shoulder and there was a very tiny speck that felt a little sore when she touched it. "It wasn't a dream," she said and got in the shower. As she showered she tried desperately to remember what had happened. She remembered him coming in, scanning her, injecting something into her arm but could not remember what was said. She knew they had spoken but could not recall about what.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Picard waited in the turbolift for his stop to come. He thought about what he would say. He had decided at the last moment that he should go speak to the girl before leaving. For some reason he needed to see her, to make sure she was real. The turbolift stopped and he stepped onto deck 10. He stopped outside her door, composing what he was going to say, before pressing the chime. "Come in" came a voice from the other side and he stepped in. He was caught by surprise at what he saw. All the furniture in the main living area head been put against the walls and tables stacked up on each other making the room look very big and empty. In the middle of the room was a girl, wearing some very skin tight clothes, on the floor with her legs spread straight out to her sides in a split, her stomach on the floor in front, elbows on the floor and her head resting on her hands. She seemed surprised when she saw him and stood up. Once she was up he noticed she wore a skirt over her tights.

"I thought you were Deanna," she said.

"I'm sorry to disturb you; I needed to have a quick word with you."

She looked at him, recognizing him from a picture. She tried to contain herself from the excitement she was feeling. She had expected that Deanna would be there when she first met him, making her feel better.

"I did not want you to think that you are not important. I would like nothing more than to be in sickbay so that we can be certain I am your father. But the success of this mission is very important, I need to prevent a war," he explained, hoping she would understand.

"I understand. I will wait here until you get back," she said shyly.

Picard looked at her intently, making her feel uneasy and causing her to shift her weight from one leg to the other. He began smiling which made her blush.

"You are just as beautiful as your mother," he said softly without thinking.

"Thank you, I think," she said; not sure if that was a compliment or an accusation.

"I will return as soon as possible. In the mean time, I don't want you to feel like you are a prisoner. There are plenty of things to do on the ship suited for a child your age." He gave her a warm smile and she smiled back. It was the same as Beverly's smile and it put him at ease as he left.

Bevy stood there for a moment, not sure what to make of what had just happened.

*** * * * * * * * ***

Beverly sat on the chair, her legs curled up on the seat under the skirt of her dress. She was thinking about Jean-Luc, wondering how he was taking to the news of having a child, wondering if he hated her for what she did, if he would ever forgive her. There was a knock and Jared came in with a tray of food.

"I guess knocking works different here," she said as he sat the tray in front of her.

"No, it doesn't. But if you are being punished you really have no say as to who can or cannot see you. So in detention we knock just to let you know someone is coming in."

Beverly began eating quietly.

"I will be meeting with the director after I leave. Is there anything you'd like me to tell her?"

"'Sorry' doesn't seem good enough."

"But it's a start."

Beverly ate the fruit salad but nothing else. She looked at her barely touched plate and wondered why she wasn't as hungry as she usually was.

"It must be serious when a doctor gets concerned about her own health."

"No, I'm fine. I'm just not as active as I usually am so I don't get as hungry as usual."

"But you don't believe that."

"Damn Betazoids."

"You don't mind it when you want me to know something but don't want to talk about it. But if it bothers you I won't do it any more. I can do my job just as well without my telepathic abilities."

"No, I'm sorry."

"Come," he said, taking the brush out of his pocket, "tell me something that is bothering you." Beverly walked over to the bed and sat down to have her hair brushed. She realized she actually enjoyed having someone brush her hair, having someone take care of her for a change. It was nice, and she liked the attention. Not that she was ready to openly admit it.

"I'll give you all the attention you need, but you need to follow the rules," making her blush, "Rosie" he added.

"Don't think I don't remember you calling me that last night."

"I know, you just weren't ready to throw your tantrum."

"I do not throw tantrums!"

"Ok, Rosie. Now tell me what is bothering you today."

She paused for a moment to put the words together in her head before continuing. "I'm probably going to resign my commission to Starfleet."

"Why?"

"I've ruined my Starfleet career by this. At best I'll get a court martial and loose my rank. I'll probably be transferred from the Enterprise. I've also ruined my reputation, that of Captain Picard, and that of my son. Besides, I'd like to be able to get to know my daughter. Spend time with her."

"Are you going to try to regain custody?"

Beverly stopped to think about it as she felt Jared gathering her hair but in a different way than he had done the previous night. He gathered a small section of her hair on one side of her head and it felt as if he was braiding it. "I don't know, I hadn't thought about that. But I'd like to stay near by so I can visit her and see her often, at least."

"You wouldn't stay here, on Clairmont?"

"I don't think I'd be wanted here, having attacked a student and all."

Jared gathered another section of her hair, on the opposite side of her head, and began braiding that too. "If we find evidence that you were being controlled then you will not be blamed for the incident. You'd be surprised how forgiving we can be. Will you resign if we find you are not to blame?"

"What else can I do? Jean-Luc probably hates me now for ruining his reputation, for giving him what he least wants. I can't stay on the Enterprise; he would want me far away. I can't imagine being on any other ship."

"What is it he doesn't want?"

"He does not like children."

"He liked your son."

"But that was more out of guilt, I think." She stopped and thought about if for a moment. "How did you know he liked my son? I wasn't thinking about it."

Jared gathered both thin braids and tied them with a ribbon, having them crown the back of her head. He had not braided the sections of hair all the way to the end so there was a long lock of hair hanging from the ribbon. He gathered it and twirled it with his finger, making it curl more than the rest of her wavy hair.

"There, now you look all pretty," he said. He stood up and said, "I need to get going, I have a meeting soon. Thank you for cooperating. I will be back after I speak to the director and let you know what she says."

As he went towards the door Beverly said, "Wait, you didn't answer my question! How did you know he liked my son?"

"I'll see you later, Rosie," he responded in a very teasing tone and left the room.

"_Now _I feel like throwing a tantrum!" she said out loud.

*** * * * * * * * *  
**

Captain Picard materialized in the transporter room and stepped down, heading towards the door.

"Thank you Chief," he said to Chief O'Brien then tapped his communicator as he left the room.

"Picard to the bridge."

"Bridge here," responded Commander Riker

"Commander, plot the most direct route to Clairmont Academy and engage at maximum warp."

"Yes, Captain," he responded as the captain entered the turbolift.

"Deck 12." Within a couple of minutes he had arrived at deck 12 and the door swished open. He went down the hall and into sick bay. He was glad to find it was empty except for Counselor Troi, Nurse Ogawa, and Bevy sitting on a biobed.

"I am sorry, it was more difficult than I expected to get away once everything had been resolved."

"We're going to be dropping off the delegate at his home world before heading to Clairmont?" asked Troi.

"No, he has decided to stay a while longer and will return by his own means."

"Shall we begin?" asked Alyssa.

"Yes," responded Picard

"This will take a few minutes" Alyssa said, downloading the information onto the computer monitor over the biobed. She had already taken a DNA sample from Bevy and was running a comparison with the DNA on file for both Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher.

"How are you feeling?" asked Deanna, putting hand on Bevy's lap.

"I'm ok."

"And you, Captain?"

"Nervous, I must admit. I will have lots of questions whatever the results are."

The computer monitor beeped and Alyssa pressed a couple buttons. On the screen came two words in large, bold, flashing letters: Positive Match.

"What happens now?" Bevy asked.

"I don't know. I guess the first step would be for us to get to know each other. I have many questions but I doubt you can answer any of them."

"I'm surprised you're not disappointed," Bevy said

"Why would I be disappointed?"

"Because you don't like children, and now you have one."

The captain looked at counselor Troi and asked, "Where did you hear that from?"

"Not from me, sir," Deanna said, seeing his accusing look. "She has not revealed her source of information."

"Why don't we start with a meal? I'd like to get to know you, especially since you seem to know quite a bit about me."

"Sounds good, I'm starving!"

*** * * * * * * * * * **

**  
**Kayleen Lampson stood next to a window in her office, looking out at the students going about their daily activities, unaware that she was observing them. As she looked at each individual student she felt proud at being able to name them and remember the last conversation she had had with them. There was a knock at her door. "Come in," she said without moving from the window. She knew who it was.

"Good afternoon, Jared."

"Good afternoon. Enjoying the view?"

"Yes, very much." She turned towards her desk and sat in her chair. "Please, sit down."

"Thank you," Jared replied, sitting down on a chair. "Here is my report on Dr. Crusher," he said handing her a PADD. She read through it as he waited.

"I knew that name was familiar. I was the one that completed all the paper work and met with her when she gave up Bevy." She continued reading. "You believe what she says, that she was being controlled by someone else?"

"I don't know if that really happened, but she is not lying when she says she doesn't think she was in control of her actions. Every time she remembers what she did she is shocked, she can't believe that is what she did. She has shown no signs of being psychotic or of hearing voices."

"If that is what happened, how could it have happened?"

"I have read of instances where someone who is a telepath can project their feelings onto someone else, making them act on those feelings. But no one in the Dance Center at the time is a telepath."

"I thought one of their crew was."

"You are talking about their counselor, she is half Betazoid and only an empath, not a telepath."

"An empath is not capable of doing it?"

"I happen to know of their counselor, her mother is an ambassador of Betazed, and very well known. She has very strong empathic powers, but nothing else. She can only communicate telepathically with other telepathic species. She cannot be capable of doing it. And it wouldn't make sense, she had no reason to, she didn't even know Dr. Crusher had a daughter, much less that she was here."

"We have many telepaths here, both students and citizens, but I have a very hard time believing any of them could be capable of such a thing. And like you've already pointed out, no one present at the time is a telepath."

"What are you going to do?"

Kayleen stopped to think for a moment. She had been asking herself that same question for four days now.

"How is she doing?" she asked.

"As well as can be expected."

"Has she caused any trouble?"

"None at all" he said with a small laugh.

"What is it?"

"Well, she hasn't caused any trouble deliberately. All the trouble she's caused is with me. It's been a very interesting experience conducting a therapy session with someone who is not only an adult but also used to being in charge, with tactics I use with adolescents."

"I was not aware that there was a major difference. Would you like me to get someone who specializes in adults to deal with her instead?"

"No. I finally have her trust and have figured out which tactics work with her. I doubt she would respond to someone else, she is not fond of therapy."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"I care about all my patients. She is no different."

"But none of your other patients have you get up at 3 in the morning to take care of them. None of the students in your house have ever ended up in detention and needing your care. You've always been available in detention for a set amount of hours during the day. It didn't bother you to get up in the middle of the night, walk across campus in the cold, tend to her, and walk back in the same cold and still wake up for you morning appointments?"

"No, it did not. She needs someone right now, she has a lot to deal with, more than I can disclose to you. Like I said, she is no different than any of my other patients. She has made some bad choices and now must deal with the consequences, consequences that will affect her, her children, and friends the rest of her life. There is so much going on that the attack itself has not even been a focus."

"Jared, I have always trusted you. If you say that her intention was not to harm Bevy, I believe you. If you truly do not mind tending to her, we will keep her in detention just as she has been for the past four days. I will recommend to the Disciplinary Committee that when her ship returns that we hand her over to them. They can decide what kind of punishment to administer. My offer to find someone else to tend to her still stands."

"That won't be necessary. I can handle a couple more days. I would like to request permission to meet with their ship's counselor when they arrive. She will need continued therapy once she leaves."

"I will ask their captain when they arrive."

"Thank you. I will inform her of your decision."

*** * * * * * * * ***

Beverly was bored. She realized that the joy of having Elise and Jared visit her made her time alone seem very boring. She thought about Elise, how charismatic she was, always a smile on her face. She also had a very big appetite. Even though she said she had already had a meal before bringing hers she was always happy to eat Beverly's mostly untouched tray of food. Yet, she didn't seem to be overweight, probably due to all the exercise she got from dancing. Her mind wondered off to Jared and the way he treated her. He knew just how to get her steaming, exactly which buttons to push. She laughed as she recalled her behaviour, her reactions to his teasing. It was certainly nice to be able to act immaturely, act just as she was feeling. That's the only difference between a child and an adult, she realized. An adult can control their emotions and act appropriately when they are upset. Adults don't throw tantrums. _I guess I do throw _little_ tantrums sometimes_ she thought, realizing that he called her Rosie to get her to explode. Why did it bother her so much? After all, it was true that she blushed a lot. Maybe it was because he said it to tease her? She wanted to find out why it bothered her, alone, without his help for once. After paying close attention to what she felt when she said it out loud several times she was surprised to realize that she actually like it, and that's why it bothered her. It was a unique name he had chosen for her, which made her feel special. But it was also something one does with a child, and she liking it made her feel more like a child. That was what she was doing by allowing herself to act immaturely, acting like a child, so why was the name different? Because he said she couldn't help acting like a child since he was treating her like one. _She _had no control over acting immaturely, she justified.

She was deep in thought when there was a knock at the door. She had forgotten about the visitor and for a moment expected either Elise or Jared to walk in through the door, but quickly remembered as she looked at the door. Someone came in, someone familiar, but she could not believe her eyes.

"Hi, mom" he said.

"Wesley?" she whispered, not understanding what was in front of her. It looked like Wesley, but he was at Starfleet Academy, wearing a Starfleet uniform. This young man wore black dress shoes, not boots. He wore black pants and a white button down, collard shirt, not a uniform jumpsuit. He wore a red, buttoned, sweater with the words "Clairmont Academy" on the left side, just like the one Elise wore every day.

"Yes," he said and smiled. She knew that smile from a light year away and hugged him; he hugged her back.

She had a million questions, it seemed. But she started with what seemed the most important at the moment.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the Academy."

"I am," he said with a smile.

"Starfleet, not Clairmont!" she said, still not believing he was here.

"I left, after the first year."

"Why?"

"It wasn't what I had expected, what I wanted, or what I needed."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Every day I went to class, listened to lectures, took notes, took tests. Everything was fine as long as I did just that. If I ever had a different idea, challenged a theory, thought of a better way of doing something I was shot down, told it was not possible. It was very depressing. When I left the Enterprise at the end of my vacation I thought about how much I had actually enjoyed solving the mystery about the crew and the game. That's what I wanted and I decided to look for something else. I ended up on Risa. It was a stop on the transport vessel I was on. I was bored and decided to attend a dance competition being held there. I hoped it would make me miss you enough to get the courage to tell you I was leaving the Academy. That's where I saw Bevy. I had to meet her and when I finally did I was in shock. We talked and she invited me to come, telling me school here was nothing like what I was describing."

"But Clairmont Academy only accepts students under 10 years old. And how could you know for sure you were related?"

"She invited me to their ship where a DNA test showed we had one parent in common, one X chromosome. The team's escort happened to be someone who works in enrolment. He said that there was a clause about the 10 year old rule, there was an exception for siblings of students who had attended for 5 consecutive years prior to the enrolment of the sibling. He spoke to the director over subspace and she said that all I had to do was attend some classes during a 6 month probation period. If during the probation period I stayed out of trouble and the professors felt I could succeed with their curriculum then I could stay. I've been here for two years now."

"Why haven't you told me?"

"I didn't want to disappoint you or Captain Picard."

"I'm disappointed you felt you couldn't talk to me, but I'm proud of you for finding your own path."

They sat down on the bed, facing each other, neither one quite believing the other was there. Wesley took his mother's hands in his and asked, "How are you holding up?"

"All right, actually."

"That's not what Elise tells me, you were barely able to get a couple hours of sleep last night and only after being given a sleeping aid."

"It's just some stress, nothing to worry about. Tell me, how is your relationship with your sister?"

"It's good, I think. Jared says we don't fight any more than any other siblings, which is comforting because we're always arguing. It's strange because we argue and yell and then 20 minutes later we're laughing, sharing ice cream, having a good time. We can't stay mad at each other for long. But I know if someone else did some of the things she does I would be much more upset."

"What kinds of things does she do?"

"She always goes in my room when I'm not there, she never knocks before coming into my room, she takes my things without asking, I could go on."

"I've been told that's the way brothers and sisters are. So you live in the same house with her and Elise?"

"Yes, there are seven of us at the house. Three girls: Elise, Gabrielle, and Bevy. Four boys: Chris, Landon, Irvin, and me. It just happened to work out. They like keeping siblings together and the house had two extra rooms. I can't imagine having one more in the house, though. It gets very crowded and loud sometimes."

"I'm glad you are happy here," she said and just looked at her son for a long time. "I'm sorry for not telling you about your sister, that you had to find out that way."

"Mom, why did you do it? Why did you cheat on dad?"

"I didn't want to, but alcohol can sometimes make you do things that you don't want to."

"Why didn't you just tell dad? He would have kept her, raised her as her own."

"Wes, it's more complicated than that. There were circumstances that did not allow that to happen."

"Does Captain Picard know?"

"He does now. He doesn't even remember when it happened. I had to erase his memory after it happened. I'm sorry Wesley."

"I guess I'm not as mad as I was when I first found out. I've had two years to work things out."

"When were you planning on telling me you had left the Academy."

"Believe it or not, very soon. I had been thinking of how to approach it and even had a deadline which would have been up in three weeks. Tell me, how is everyone on the Enterprise?"

*** * * * * * * * * ***

**  
**Ms. Lampson was completing some paperwork when there was a knock on the door. It surprised her, she did not have any other appointments for the rest of the day and she usually didn't get anyone unexpected at her office.

"Come in," she said, and a young man walked in. "Hello, Landon. What can I do for you?"

He looked very nervous and looked down as he said, "Mr. Lampson, I need to talk to you. To tell you something."

"Sit down, tell me."

He was silent for a couple of minutes before saying anything. "I think I did something very bad. I didn't mean to but I did."

"Landon, what did you do?"

He looked at her with fear in his eyes. She saw that fear and stood up and walked around her desk to sit in the chair next to his, facing him.

"Whatever it is, just tell me. We all make mistakes. Holding it in won't make the situation any better."

"It's my fault, I didn't mean to, but I did somehow. I don't even know how. I didn't say anything because I thought she was getting what she deserved but I still feel very guilty. I'm so sorry," he said with fear in his eyes and regret in his voice.

Kayleen tried to understand what he was saying, what he was talking about. Then suddenly she had an idea about what he was talking about.

"Landon, what did you do?"

"I made her do it," he said. That's all she needed, she knew just what he was talking about. She and Jared had talked about it earlier in the day, and Landon was a telepath. She stood up and went behind her desk and picked up a small device. She inputted a sequence and a few seconds later a voice said,

"Yes?"

"Jared, I need you to come to my office immediately. Landon is here."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." There was a tiny beep and she put the device down. She walked back around her desk and sat where she had been sitting before.

"Landon, where were you? Albert interviewed everyone who was there and your name didn't come up."

He did not answer for several minutes, guilt being very obvious in his face.

"I was there when they transported down and recognized her. Wesley has a picture of her in his room and she looks a lot like Bevy. I don't know why, but I decided to follow them."

The door opened without warning and Jared came in.

"What happened?" he asked, worry in his voice.

"Landon was responsible for the incident with Bevy and Dr. Crusher."

"Landon, what happened? Why did you feel such strong emotions?"

"Like I told Ms. Lampson, I had been following them throughout the tour from the beginning. I knew she was Bevy's mother and it was making me upset that she was going through this tour, happy and smiling as if she did not know Bevy was here. When they went into the Dance Center I stayed outside waiting for them to come out. I felt how happy she felt when she saw Bevy. She was going to run to her and hug her. It made me so mad. How dare she think she can just walk into her life as if nothing has ever happened? You know Bevy has always wondered about her parents. That woman deprived Bevy of parents. And she deprived her of her brother. You see how happy she is now, how much she has changed since he came here. She deprived her of that joy. She just dumped her here like a pile of trash and never looked back. I wanted to pounce on her. That's when I heard the commotion and looked through a window. I saw her doing what I had thought of doing to her."

"Landon, your anger is misplaced. You've accused someone based on one action. Clairmont Academy is a wonderful place. You don't 'dump trash' in a wonderful place. You do not understand the circumstances behind her actions. And if she would have never brought Bevy here we would have never met her. Then _we_ would have been deprived of the joy of knowing her, having her around us all the time. Think of all the times Bevy has cheered you up when you are feeling sad. Who would have cheered you up if she wasn't here? How about all the fun things you do together?"

"I never thought of it that way. I don't even know how I did it."

"How it's done is not fully understood. It is something that happens very rarely."

"Will he do it again?" asked Ms. Lampson, sounding concerned.

"Based on the documented occurrences, there has never been a person that has done it twice, even when they try. The truth is that we're unsure exactly how or why it happens. Based on those finding it is highly unlikely he will ever do it again."

"Landon," Ms. Lampson continued, "Why didn't you come to us sooner?"

"I thought she was getting what she deserved, being put in detention, her life ruined."

"How do you know if her life is ruined?" asked Jared.

"I heard Wesley and Elise talking. He said that her career would probably be over."

"What made you come tell Ms. Lampson?" he asked.

"I keep hearing Elise talk to Wes, Gabrielle, and you about her, how nice she is. Today Wesley was very excited to go see her. I realized that Bevy might really care about what happens to her, she doesn't know her. But Wesley does. It made him very sad to think about her career being over. I just kept feeling guiltier and guiltier."

There was silence in the room as Ms. Lampson thought carefully about how she was going tell Landon his punishment and what he was being punished for.

"Landon," she began, "you did not act on your feelings but they forced someone else to act on them. It was an accident and I believe that had you been able to control it you would not have allowed it to happen. I cannot punish you for something you had no control over. However, you did not come forward and tell the truth after it happened. Even worst, you justified your actions by believing you were punishing someone innocent. You have no right to say who should or should not be punished. And for that you are going to be punished. To give you time to think about what you've done, you will spend 5 days in detention with absolutely no visitors. You also need to write a letter of apology to Dr. Crusher, Bevy, Wesley, and the captain of the Enterprise. You can take my punishment or face the Disciplinary Committee. Their punishment may be more severe and will most likely include a longer stay in detention and expulsion from extracurriculars. They will classify this as lying and lying is a serious offence."

"Why do I need to apologize to all those people?"

"Because you chose not to come forward the moment the incident occurred, Dr. Crusher has been in detention for three and a half days, being punished for something she could not control and wondering what happened. Three and a half days of being away from her family and friends. Bevy is on board a starship due to the injuries she received. Had you come forward her mother would have been on that starship and they would be getting to know each other. Wesley because he was also deprived the opportunity to see his mother until today, and in a difficult situation. The captain of he Enterprise because he had to leave behind his Chief Medical Officer. That is the main doctor on a starship. If there were to be a big medical emergency there could be medical complications or lives lost because the main doctor is not there to treat them. These are the consequences of not coming forward when you do something. The Enterprise will be back in two days, all the letters must be done by then. And remember, you are not being punished for causing the accident, you are being punished for not coming forward. Now go to your room, you will be taken to detention once they are ready for you."

Landon got up and left the room. Once he was gone Jared said, "I will work with him, find out why he is so angry. What do you want me to do with Dr. Crusher?

"We need to find proper accommodations for her. We usually know in advance if we will be having visitors stay an extended amount of time. I need to find someone who can house her until her ship returns."

"We have an empty room. Wesley and Elsie will enjoy having her there. They were planning on giving her the news together, tomorrow. I'm sure the house would be a better place for that."

"Thank you, Jared."

"Wes is with her right now, I will go tell them the news. And I need to make preparations for Landon."

"He's your first in detention."

"Yes. I knew it would happen one day."

"It has been a difficult week for you."

"I prefer to think of it as a much welcomed challenge. Now, if you can please excuse me, I have some things I need to take care of."

Kayleen smiled and nodded, letting him know he could leave. He headed straight for the detention building, thinking of all the things that needed to be done, arrangements that needed be made for Landon, appointments that would need to be re-scheduled, and a pair of shoes for Beverly.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Picard sat at his dinning table, sharing a meal with Counselor Troi and his daughter, Bevy. Deanna just sat listening. Her role there was only to help if needed, she didn't want to get in the way of the two getting to know each other.

"I noticed you re-arranged the furniture in your quarters," he said to Bevy.

"I needed some space to practice, we have a competition in 5 days. We're lucking we're hosting this year or we would have not been able to go with me missing and all."

"What kind of dance will you be doing at this competition?"

"It's ballroom dancing. There are three ballroom dancing teams on Clairmont, two amateur and one professional."

"Which one are you?"

"I'm part of the professional team. I'm a professional dancer all around. I was kinda forced to turn professional after I won first place in all categories at the Intergalactic Dance Association dance competition a year and a half ago. They didn't say anything, but there was a lot of talk. I had won first place in all categories except one for 5 years straight before that, in different divisions of course."

"Impressive. Which category had you not won in?"

"Ballroom. It was fate, I guess. My partner before that had an injury 6 months before the competition. It just happen to be a few days after We…ummm…. We got some new students and one of them was a perfect match for me. He had never danced before and we practiced like crazy. We had always placed 2nd so I was expecting to get no better than third. That night everything just clicked and we got first."

"Let me guess," Deanna interrupted, "this new student is your informant."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I promised not to. I'm sure you will find out when we get back."

"Don't worry about it," the captain said. "There are plenty of other things to talk about."

"I agree," replied Deanna. Bevy fell silent, thinking.

"What is it?" asked Picard.

"Are you ashamed of me? Me being a big mistake that has probably wrecked a friendship."

"No. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Quite the opposite. I am very proud to have such a talented daughter. What happened between your mother and I is not your fault and you needn't concern yourself with that. I will take some getting used to having a daughter."

Bevy smiled, she had been afraid that he was getting to know her out of guilt or responsibility but didn't really want anything to do with her.

"I plan on taking the day off tomorrow, our trip back should be uneventful. What would you like to do?"

"I like horses. I've never actually seen one, only in pictures, but they look very beautiful. I am told you have holodecks that can recreate them. I also happen to know you are a rider."

Picard and Troi simply looked at each other. _Who was giving her this information?_

"Very well, we shall go horse back riding."

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Beverly and Wesley had talked for several hours, mostly just catching up. Wesley wanted to know about the people he knew on the Enterprise and he told his mother about the different things he had learned and projects he had done. There was a knock on the door and they both turned to see Jared walking in, a smile on his face and a pair of shoes in his hands.

"I have some good news," he said. "You have been found innocent."

"How?" asked Beverly.

"We found who caused you to feel those feelings, made you attack her."

"Who?" asked Wesley.

"Landon. It is very complicated and we can discuss it at another time," he replied. Then, turning to Beverly, he said "Ms. Lampson has requested that we take you in until your ship returns." He gave her the shoes he had replicated, a pair of flats, and she slipped them on. The three of them left the room and for the first time Beverly walked down the opposite side of the hallway.

"I remembered coming in from the other way," she said.

"You did, but our house is on the opposite side. If you go out that way you will have to walk all the way around. I need to finish some things here. Wesley, she will be taking the spare room. I have already informed everyone at the house that she will be coming. I've managed to get you out of class but not out of practice."

"I can't believe she pulled rank! How can I practice without a partner?"

"That is between you and your co-captain. I know nothing about how these things work. I will probably be by the house late so good night in case I don't see you."

"Good night," they both said.

As they began walking Beverly asked, "What kind of team are you on?"

"Debate team, it looks like."

The door that led them out of the building swished opened and they walked out. Beverly began shivering, it was early evening and it was cold. Wesley took off his sweater and she put it on. _When did his clothes get bigger than mine?_ She thought as she noticed it was a bit big on her.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"I am, just not now. I need some time to figure out how I'm going to tell you a lot of things."

"How much time?"

"A couple of hours, maybe more. I will definitely tell you no later than tomorrow, promise."

"Why is it so difficult for you to tell me? You used to tell me everything."

"I don't know. I'm afraid of disappointing you, I guess. You have a certain perception of me, everyone on the Enterprise does. I'm not quite that person anymore."

They were walking quickly in between buildings and Beverly said, "I don't remember so many buildings."

"Your tour didn't take you anywhere near here. We're taking a short cut, the main walkway is much more scenic but it's too cold for that right now. I can show you around tomorrow, if you'd like."

"That sounds nice. But don't you have practice?"

"I'm also co-captain. And I have a way with the other co-captain. I'll get out of it. It's ridiculous and she's only doing it to pull rank."

"Sounds like you two don't get along."

Wesley laughed hysterically at that. "Actually, she's my best friend. We just go back and forth making life difficult for each other." They turned at the end of the row of building and all she could see was a walkway with three houses on each side and one at the end of the walkway. "That's our house," he said, pointing at the last house on the left. They arrived at the house and Wesley reached into a pocket on the sweater his mother was wearing, pulling out a card. He swiped it through a card reader next to the door and the door opened. They stepped in and it was quiet.

"I thought you said it was usually loud in here," she said as they entered the main living area. It was a room with sofas on all four walls. Wesley led her to the next room, the dinning room, which had a large table with ten chairs around it and various pictures and awards on the wall. He pulled her into the kitchen before she had a chance to look at any of them in detail.

"Lets find out why it's so quiet," he said as he tapped a large screen the wall. He tapped several keys and a chart came up. He began reading, "Chris is at the library, Elise and Gabrielle are at the Dance Center, Landon is home, Bevy is off planet, Ervin is at the art studio, I'm home and there is one guest."

"Wes, what _am _I allowed to see?"

"The kitchen. Are you hungry? We can have cookies and ice cream for dinner!"

"Wesley! That is not an appropriate dinner."

"I'm not much of a cook. There is food but I don't know what to do with it."

"What were you going to eat tonight?"

"Probably a PB&J, cookies, and ice cream."

"What's PB&J, and how are cookies and ice cream nutritious?"

"Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanuts have protein, jelly has fruit, bread has grains, ice cream has dairy, and cookies are dessert."

"Wesley, that is awful. Where did you learn such bad food habits?"

"Starfleet Academy. What's wrong with my meal?" he said jokingly.

"The sandwich isn't bad, but milk is a much better dairy source and a vegetable is a much better dessert."

"Fine, you can have that, I'll take the ice cream." He opened a freezer and took out a large container with ice cream. They both laughed as he began scooping ice cream into two different bowls. He put the container away and gave his mother a bowl with ice cream. "Come, we can go to my room."

Beverly followed him to the end of the kitchen where there was a stairway. They went up and it led them to a hallway full of doors. They passed all the doors and at the very end he opened a door and let her go in first, closing the door behind them. It was a small room with a bed, a night stand, a desk with a chair, a dresser, a book shelf, and a closet. Wesley sat in the chair at his desk as his mother looked around. She was drawn to the book shelf. It was tall, taller than her, but only had a handful of actual books. It was filled with awards, pictures, figurines, and other things. She picked up a trophy that had a large "1st" on top. Wesley jumped up when he saw his mother pick it up, but she had already read it. It said:

Intergalactic Dance Association

Amateur Ball Room

Team: Crusher/Picard

2369; Risa

She stared at the trophy, reading it over and over again. She had been a dancer on earth, but had never competed in the IDA, she never felt she was good enough. She was proud, but also shocked. She had tried to teach Wesley how to dance many times and he just didn't get it. How did he win first place? She turned to face him.

"Wesley, you dance?"

"Yes," he said, taking the trophy and putting it back. "We're dancing professional this year, in 5 days." She looked over all the other awards. There were several dance awards, there were also chorus and vocal awards, but the vast majority were science awards. "But that's not all I do. I know it's not what you or dad would have liked…"

"I'm proud of you. And I know your father would be very proud too," she interrupted. She sat on his bed and ate the ice cream, listening to him talk about dance. The door suddenly opened and Elise ran in very excitedly, jumped on the bed and swung her arms around Beverly.

"You're here!" she said very excitedly.

"Yes, I am."

"Ice cream!" she said, taking Wesley's bowl. He didn't do anything to prevent it and didn't seem surprised. "Let me show you your room," she said and walked out the door. Beverly and Wesley followed her down the hall to the other end. "You're lucky, you get to be right next to the restroom." She opened the door and they all walked in. It was pretty much the same as Wesley's room but the furniture was all empty. "I've already replicated you some stuff, it's in the drawers. The only thing I didn't replicate was a hair brush. Jared said he had yours. Why does he have your hair brush?"

"For safe keeping," she answered, hoping that would be a good enough answer.

"We should get to bed, we're waking up early tomorrow," she said to Wesley.

"Why are we waking up early?" he asked.

"We're practicing. 5am, Dance Center, be there!"

"No, my partner is not here, there is no use in me practicing without her."

"I will be your partner. This competition is very important to her and you need to practice."

"Practicing with you won't help me, I need to practice with her."

"I'm co-captain. I decide."

"So am I."

"I've been co-captain longer."

"You're the wrong height and weight."

"I am..." Elise stopped mid sentence. "Fine! But I'm eating the rest of the ice cream!"

"I thought you didn't want to gain too much weight."

"Then I'm eating all the apples! And don't try to stop me!"

"That's fine, there are only 4 left," came Jared's voice. This made her even more mad and her eyes filled with tears in anger. "Elise, you've had a long day, you need to get some rest. Stop picking fights for today. You can continue tomorrow."

"Fine!" she said and went to her room.

"I've never seen her like that," Beverly said.

"It's a phase," Wesley quickly answered.

"The arrangements were made quicker than I expected since arrangements had already be made for someone to be in detention. I know it's not too late but Beverly, I'd like you to get a full night's sleep tonight. You two have all day tomorrow."

"Ok," she said and he left the room and went into another room. "I guess I should change."

"Yeah. The bathroom is the next door. There is a red light when it is being used. I'll be in my room if you need anything. Good night mom," he said and they hugged before he left her alone. The door to the room closed and she began looking through the drawers. She found a night gown and changed before going to the restroom. When she returned Jared was in the room, holding the brush. Instinctively sat on the bed in front of him and she felt as he untied the ribbon and began taking the braids apart.

"Made any interesting discoveries?"

"Yes, I can't believe Wes is a dancer. He never got it when I tried teaching him."

"Did he say anything about Elise?"

"They are co-captains and I think he said they are best friends, but it didn't seem like it a few minutes ago."

"Like Wesley said, it's a phase. You'll understand more tomorrow."

"I don't like being kept in the dark."

"You don't need to turn off the lights, but it will help you sleep better."

"That's _not_ what I meant!"

"I know, Rosie."

Instead of becoming more mad when he called her Rosie, she remembered what she had been thinking about before Wesley went to visit her. She smiled, knowing he couldn't see it.

"I knew it would grow on you. And just because I can't see it doesn't mean I can't feel it."

"Will we ever interact as adults?"

"If we did I couldn't tease you and what fun would that be?" He tied the ribbon around her hair at the bottom of her skull. "Now it's bed time," he said, getting up. Beverly got up and pulled the covers off the bed and laid down. He took a hypospray like the one he had used the previous night, out of his pocket. "This one is a bit stronger than the last one. It should guarantee at least 8 hours of sleep. I will stay until you have fallen asleep."

"Alright."

He pressed it against her arm again and this time it didn't startle her as much. He covered her and said, "I am going to take Landon to detention after you fall asleep, but will be back. If you need anything, my door is the one with the welcome sign."

"Thanks," she said, sounding a bit groggy.

"Sweet dreams, Rosie."


	5. Chapter 5

**DAY 5**

Deanna was sipping at her hot chocolate when the captain arrived at her quarters.

"Captain, I could have gone to see you," she told him as he took a seat.

"It's no problem at all, you are just down the hall. What is it you wanted to discuss?"

"I want to start by saying that I am glad you have decided to pursue a relationship with your daughter. The rapport between the two of you is very natural."

"I do find myself wondering if I am going to wake up from some dream. I am much more comfortable with her than I was with Wesley."

"I am glad to hear that." She paused for a moment to take another sip of her cup before continuing. "So far only Nurse Ogawa and I know she is your daughter, but several people have seen her already as she has gone to and from sick bay, her quarters, and your quarters. No one has said anything, I haven't heard rumours…"

"The crew will need to know."

"Yes. Have you thought about how to approach the situation?"

Picard stopped for a moment, he had already thought about it. No matter how he did it, it would raise many questions.

"There are so many questions they might ask."

"The crew respect you; they understand you are only flesh and blood like the rest of us. They won't judge you for what happened 17 years ago."

"I will introduce her as simply my daughter. They will be able to draw the appropriate conclusion with her name and by looking at her."

"What about Dr. Crusher?"

"I had an affair with my best friend's wife, she cheated on her husband with his best friend. I don't think either one of us will be looked at worst than the other."

"That is true. But she went through a great deal to conceal this child. There is absolutely no record of her being born or of Beverly ever giving birth. She might want to keep it that way."

"She can tell the crew whatever she likes when she returns. _I _will not lie about her."

Deanna could sense that he was becoming angry and wanted him to express his anger and not keep it inside.

"What makes you angry the most?"

"That she didn't tell me. All this time and she never told me. What else is she hiding? I don't know if I can ever trust her again."

"Personally or professionally?"

"Both."

"Then you will be requesting a new CMO?" Picard gave her a puzzled look. "As captain you need to be able to fully trust your Chief Medical Officer."

Picard sighed, he really hadn't meant it and Deanna had known. He sat, thinking, unable to get her off his mind. How was she doing? Despite everything he still cared about her.

"Have you thought about how you will maintain your relationship with your daughter?"

"I don't know."

"Talk to her about it, she might have some ideas. And I'm here if you need help. But if you want to make up for lost time both of you will need to make some sacrifices."

"Thank you, counselor, for leading me in the right direction."

"Any time."

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Beverly woke up, feeling well rested. She could hear birds outside, the sun illuminating the room, and footsteps in the hall. She sat up and saw a chronometer on the desk. It said 7:00, and decided it was time to get up. She grabbed the toiletries and clothes Elise had left for her and went to the restroom to shower. When she returned she saw a hair brush on the desk. It was easy to spot it since there was nothing on the desk besides the chronometer and the brush. There was a note under it, she picked up the bush and read the note.

I thought you might need it. Don't get too attached,

I will be taking it back when I return. Jared

She put down the note and began brushing her hair for the first time in 4 days. When she was done she put the brush back on the desk, noticing Wesley's sweater over the back of the chair. She wondered if he would be up and decided to go check. Putting the sweater over her arm she left the room and began walking down the hall. She had passed two doors when a door opened and out comes Elise, running towards her and almost pushing her aside as she went into the restroom. She heard her throwing up behind the door. She walked back to check on her but before she could say anything someone said,

"Don't worry, she'll be ok."

Beverly turned to see a girl that looked just like Elise. It made her wonder who she had just seen run into the restroom.

"I'm Gabrielle, her sister. She does this every morning."

Elise had never mentioned her sister was a twin. Beverly noticed that in her hand she held a toothbrush and a small towel. The noise coming from the restroom finally stopped and Gabrielle handed Elise the objects and walked back to her room.

"I'm getting very tired of this!" Elise said with a lot of frustration.

"Only 30 weeks left!" Gabrielle shouted back to her before going into her room.

"Elise, are you pregnant?" Beverly asked, feeling very surprised. Elise was brushing her teeth and simply nodded. She could not believe it, she was only 17. Wesley came out of his room and walked towards her.

"Hey mom, did you sleep well?"

"Yes," she said. He gave her hug once he was close enough then walked into the restroom. The door had remained opened because Beverly was standing in the doorway. He began cleaning up the little that had not made it in the toilet. He pulled down the toilet seat and its cover and sat down. He pulled Elise in front of him and he put his hands on her hips and his face at her belly.

"Listen kid, you need to stop making your mom throw up. I can hear it all the way down the hall and it is not pleasant. What's even worst is that I am now regretting I agreed to clean up after this."

"Thanks for understanding," Elise said in a very sarcastic tone. She turned away from Wesley and said, "I'm sorry I had to push you out of the way, but I needed to get in here fast."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you are alright."

"I'm sorry I can't spend time with you guys right now, but I am trying to figure out how I'm going to fix my uniform so that I can still fit in it without looking weird. It's harder than I thought it would be," Elise said as she walked to her room and went inside.

"Wes, that was not very nice of you to say."

"It's alright mom, she knows I'm joking. Come, I think there is something you might like to see." He led her to one of the various doors on the hallway. It opened and they both went inside. It was a room just like hers and Wesley's, with the exact same furniture. This room, however, seemed to have 10 times the amount of things than Wesley's. Not only were there things filling every shelf on the book case and desk but there were also things all over the walls. She stood in the middle and looked around, stopping at a part of the wall that had no furniture against it. There was a large photograph of various people. She walked up to it to get a closer look. It was a group photo. All the girls wore the same dance costume and the boys black pants with their shirts having the same pattern as the girls' dresses. In the very front were three people sitting. Wesley, Bevy and Elise. Beneath them it said: Clairmont Academy Dance Team 2370. Captain: Beverly Picard Co-Captains: Wesley Crusher and Elise Johnson. There were more pictures and awards on this wall and she looked at them closely. She moved on to the book shelf. It was over flowing with trophies, ribbons hanging off of many of them. In the middle there was a framed picture of Wesley and Bevy. It was obviously taken while they were dancing. She picked it up and stared at it in her hands for several minutes.

"It still seems surreal," she said.

"I feel the same way sometimes."

*** * * * * * * * * ***

"Wow! He's beautiful. Can I touch him?" Bevy asked her father as they approached the holographic horses.

"Yes," he answered, patting the horse on the side. She ran her hands down the horse's face then down his mane.

Jean-Luc showed her a saddle, teaching her all it's parts and how to properly put it on the horse. She was very excited until she was on the horse. She was completely tense and he could see it.

"I'm going to stay right next to you and the horse, holding on to the rein. The holodeck safeties are on, so you can't get hurt," he reassured her. She simply nodded her head and he led the horse through the field they stood in. Once she had relaxed he asked, "Would you like to go for a ride?"

"Alone? I think I might fall off."

"What if I went with you?"

"Ok," she smiled. Picard mounted the horse and put his arms around his daughter as he took the rein in his hands.

"Ready?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly. He began with just a slow trot. She was silent, still a little afraid, as he told her about horses and how they respond to how the rider feels. As she became more comfortable on the horse he began making him go faster, surprising her when he made the horse jump over a small fence. They spent several hours riding around the holodeck before deciding it was lunch time. He told her they were going to Ten Forward.

"Can I go change first? This whole pant thing doesn't work for me. All I can think about is how the fabric feels against my legs."

"Alright, we'll both go get dressed and I will pick you up at your quarters."

They left the holodeck and headed for the turbo lift. She got off on deck 10 and he followed on deck 9. After the captain had changed back into his uniform he picked up Bevy at her quarters. She wore a short sleeved blue dress that made her eyes seem even more blue. They walked towards Ten Forward, talking and looking very natural. They passed several crew members who mostly just looked astounded or confused. Bevy didn't seem to notice, she was busy talking and looking at her father. They entered Ten Forward and took a table next to a window. Guinan soon came over.

"Who is your lovely guest?" she asked the Captain.

"This is Beverly, my daughter," he said for the first time, surprised at how much pride he felt as he said it.

"Everyone calls me Bevy," she added.

"Alright, Bevy, I'm Guinan. Your father and I are old friends."

"Yes, we are," he said. While the three had a short conversation and Guinan took their order they did not notice everyone glancing at them, many talking in hushed voices. As Guinan walked away from the table with their orders she looked around Ten Forward, giving everyone a look of warning. People resumed their normal activities, not being so obvious in their curiosity.

"I had a good time…umm…what should I call you?" Bevy asked.

"Whatever you'd like."

"Ok, I had a good time, dad," she said with a smile.

"As did I," replied Picard sharing her smile. "I'd like to share many more good times with you. I want to be part of your life."

"I'd like that too. I just don't know how we can do that."

"You are always welcome here."

"Maybe I can visit when the term is over."

Guinan came to the table with their plates. "Enjoy," she said and let them enjoy their meal.

"Oh, wait, I can't at the end of term."

"Why not?"

"Well, two of my house mates are going to be graduating and are moving to the university side of the campus, I won't see them as much and I already promised we'd spend as much time as possible together before they leave. See, they're having a baby and getting married. Everyone else in our house will be going home at the end of term and I promised I'd help. I've never left for holiday so I didn't think it would be a problem. Can't you visit me instead?"

"I have not taken shore leave in a while; I'll see what I can arrange."

"Will you have to leave right away after dropping me off and picking up Dr. Crusher?"

"We haven't received any new orders but your mother will probably have to face a disciplinary committee back on earth. Why do you call her Dr. Crusher?"

"Because I don't know if she would want me to call her something else. Could you stay only three more days?"

"Why?"

"I have a competition. I would really like you to be there."

"I cannot promise I can stay, but if we do not get a new assignment then I will delay going back to earth to stay for the competition."

"Yay!" she said very excitedly.

"Tell me, why is it that you are not comfortable in pants?"

"I've never worn them, at least not that I can remember."

"What do you usually wear?"

"My uniform. A skirt, a shirt, a sweater."

"What about when you are not in class, in your room, or on vacation?"

"We are not allowed to wear anything other than our uniform except to sleep or while you are participating in an organized activity that requires a different kind of uniform. The only other clothes I have besides my uniform is my sleep clothes, practice dance clothes, and dance uniforms and costumes."

"Really? Your uniform policy is more strict that Starfleet's"

"Once I graduate and go to the University then I will only have to wear it to class or while I'm working."

"When will you be graduating?"

"I don't know. I haven't chosen a field of concentration. Once I do that then I will know when I will graduate."

"When will you choose one?"

"I don't know. I should have chosen one a year ago but I don't know what to go into. There are many things I like but nothing that I am really good at."

"What kinds of things are you interested in?"

"I like science but I have trouble remembering all the names and formulas. I like doing the experiments. My favourite are the ones with plants and moulds and stuff like that. I think I'd really like being a lab assistant to some scientist but there is no 'Lab Assistant' field."

"I see."

*** * * * * * * ***

Beverly spent over an hour in her daughter's room, looking at every trophy, ribbon, picture, and award that was visible. Later, Wesley decided to keep his promise and show his mother around. It was a beautiful planet with trees and plants everywhere. None of the buildings were very tall and seemed to blend in with all the plant life. Through his tour all he talked about was about the different building and things done in there and places he liked to sit and relax.

"This place is very nice, I can see why you like it here," Beverly told her son as they walked back to the house.

"This has to be the most beautiful, the most peaceful place I've ever been to. It's nothing like I've ever seen before."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never been anywhere where I'm 100% happy all the time. Even though I missed you and everyone else, I was still happy. Even when Bevy takes my stuff, she just gives me her smile and I can't be mad at her. It's so strange. There's a bond between us that nobody can explain. From the moment we met it was like we had known each other our whole lives."

"That's good to hear."

"And it's not just her. Academically, spiritually, emotionally; I've grown so much in those areas too. When I see how far I've come I can't believe it. Yet I see it when I remember who I was before I came. I used try not think of dad because it would make me sad that he wasn't here, mad, even. But here I have learned to move on. Yesterday you asked what I was doing here, what made this place better than Starfleet Academy. I couldn't answer because I knew you needed to see it first. You need to experience this place. What have I been doing, besides learning? I've been remembering loved ones departed, someone dear to my heart, dad. I've been finding love, planning a future, telling stories and laughing with friends. These are precious moments I'll never forget. I felt alienated at the Academy."

They stopped outside the house and Beverly stood in front of her son, looking at him. She took his hands in hers and said, "Wes, I'm glad you are happy. And that's all that matters." She gave him a motherly kiss on his forehead before continuing. "Now, tell me about this future you are planning and this love you have found."

"Ok, mom, I'm ready."

He swiped his card at the door and they entered. This time, as they passed through the dinning room, he let her look at the pictures on the wall. There were three pictures of him: one with the dance team, one next to a model of something, and one where he looked like he was singing.

"What's this?" she asked, pointing at the picture of him with the model.

"I came up with a new energy source for warp drive. It's much more effective, more stable, and there is no waste."

"And here?" pointing at the picture of him singing.

"My first vocal competition. I got third place."

"I'd like to hear you sing. I would have never imagined."

"Sure," he said, walking towards the stairway. She followed him all the way to his room. "I think you should sit down." She sat down on his bed and he pulled a drawer on his desk and pulled out two pieces of paper. He handed one to her and she noticed it was a card. She began to read it and as she read it she smiled.

"It's your graduation announcement. How are you graduating after only two years?"

"Some of my Starfleet Academy credits counted, as well as experience on the Enterprise. The rest I have been working very hard for. I'm only a little older than most of the students, but if I take too long then the age difference will be more noticeable."

"I am so proud of you!" she said as she stood up to hug him. "I don't care where I am or what I am doing, I will be here."

"I was hoping you'd say that. But that's not all. You really need to sit for this one."

She sat down and he handed her the second piece of paper. It was slightly larger than the first but it was also a card. She began reading it out loud after she could not get past the heading.

"You are cordially invited to the joining in holy matrimony of Wesley Robert Crusher and Meagan Elise Johnson on July 29, 2370."

"I figured there was no better way to celebrate my 21st birthday."

Beverly was in shock and couldn't find the right words to say.

"But Elise is pregnant."

"Yes, she will be 24 weeks along when we get married."

"Wesley, she's 17! What about her education?"

"She will be 18 in another month and she will be graduating in June with me."

"What do her parents have to say about it?"

"As long as she stays here for a couple more years, they are fine. And that's what we plan to do. We're both going to attend The University for Advanced Studies here at Clairmont."

"This is too much for me. You're getting married, you're having sex, I'm going to be grandmother. Wes, I'm not old enough to be a grandmother!"

Wesley saw the colour leave his mother and return in a bright red in a matter of seconds. He stepped outside his door and shouted, "Jared, I need your help. I think my mom is going to have a heart attack!" in a joking manner.

"Wesley! This is serious!"

Jared came to the door and asked, "What's going on?"

"I told her everything."

"Good."

"Good?!" Beverly asked, and her hands began to tremble.

"Mom, are you ok?" asked Wesley, concerned.

"I think it's time to brush your hair," Jared told Beverly.

"Yes, me too," she replied in a nervous tone.

"How is brushing her hair going to help?" Wesley asked, confused.

"It will," Jared reassured him and led her to his room. Once inside Beverly noticed that it was much larger than the other rooms. It had the same furniture but also had a big chair and an ottoman. Jared got the brush from a shelf and led her to the ottoman. He sat on the chair behind her and began brushing her hair. Tears started to flow down Beverly's face.

"Why are you crying, Rosie?"

"I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday he was lifting furniture with his portable tractor beam, experimenting with nanites, creating warp bubbles. How is he getting married? How is he becoming a father? And when did he start having sex?!"

"He's all grown up, now. An adult like you and I. You must have known it would happen some day."

"Yes, but not this soon. I thought I still had a good 10 years before any of this happened?"

"Why would it have been better in 10 years?"

"He would be older, more mature."

"From everything he told you, which bothered you the most?"

"That he's the father of Elise's baby."

"Why?"

"Because he is too young to become a father. He's not ready."

"Did it bother you when you found out Elise was pregnant?"

"No."

"Why not? She is almost 3 years younger than Wesley and she's becoming a mother. Do you think she is ready?" Beverly didn't answer. He stopped brushing her hair and leaned in right next to her ear and whispered, "Or was it that you are becoming a grandmother that bothered you?" She still didn't answer. He grabbed the edge of the ottoman and turned her around to face him. He was about to say something but stopped, looking at her. He leaned forward so that their faces were only about 12 inches apart and tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled, still looking at her intently.

"What is it?" she asked.

"How old are you, Beverly?"

"That's not something you ask a woman."

"I would know if I had your medical file. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"44"

"You don't look that old. You don't feel that old either."

"I'm no telepath, but I know when someone is holding back. You were going to say something else."

"You are very pretty."

Beverly once again turned a very bright shade of red. He smiled at her reaction as he sat back on his chair.

"I think it's a good thing that they are having children so young. You will have plenty of energy to chase around your grandchildren. If they would have waited 10 more years your back might have given out during a game of hide and seek."

They both laughed at his comment. Beverly continued, "Are we ever going to have a conversation as adults?"

"Sure, let's have one right now. The Enterprise will most likely be here tomorrow. You have been found innocent so your career is no longer in jeopardy. What will you be doing after telling Bevy and her father what happened? Are you still going to resign?"

"To be honest, I had not thought about it. I still want to get to know Bevy. I know I will be coming back for their graduation and the wedding. I would also like to be here when the baby is born. I don't know what I'm going to do. Then there is my relationship with Jean-Luc. He has been my best friend for years; I would like to salvage our friendship."

"I don't know how things work in Starfleet so you need to tell me all the options you have, even if you wouldn't do them."

"I could do what I was planning on doing, resign and live near by. Ask for a transfer to the nearest outpost or space station."

"What about Jean-Luc? You are not going to pursue that relationship?"

"We can still be friends. We'll stay in communication."

"I meant a more serious relationship with him. You said you had never pursued a romantic relationship with him because you had never told him about Bevy. He knows now. What's stopping you?"

"I don't think he feels the same."

"Liar. You know he loves you."

"No, I _think _that he _might _have some feelings for me. He has never said he has any feelings for me other than as friends. It's just complicated."

"Is it complicated or are you afraid? Look, I'm not a relationship counselor. But, I've had my share of relationships. Even though none have worked out I do not regret any of them and we're still friends. I know my friendship with any of them would have become strained if we had not decided to pursue our feelings. We gave it a try and it didn't work out. Like Elise likes to put it, no hard feelings. If we had not tried we would have never known. It's just something for you to think about. Think of it as advice from a friend."

Beverly didn't say anything, she just sat thinking, staring at her hands as if waiting.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"I don't think so."

"You can leave whenever you want."

"I know."

"What's wrong?"

"You're the telepath."

"We were having an adult conversation, so I gave you some privacy with your thoughts. Do you want me to hear you thoughts?"

"Yes."

There was silence for a moment while he listened to her thoughts. She thought about what she wanted him to know and he smiled. But thoughts are hard to control and she let him know more than she wanted to.

"Don't feel embarrassed," he told her. "I am glad you have found our therapy sessions helpful even if they are not held in a traditional manner. I have also enjoyed them. You are a very special patient to me. With you I stepped into an area of psychology I don't know much about: adult psychology. I have discovered that my methods can work with anybody willing to play along; and I thank you for playing along. You could have just found me unprofessional and turned me away. I would very much like to stay in touch with you, see how you are doing. I won't be able to brush you hair, but I will be happy to keep helping you. I hope you will also seek the help of your ship's counselor. I happen to know she is a very good counselor. And finally, no, I don't usually give my patients or anyone nicknames but Rosie just seemed appropriate at the moment."

Beverly smiled. She was finally comfortable enough to admit to him she liked being called Rosie and he knew.

"Now, about your original request," he said, standing up. She stood up as well and he opened his arms to accept her. "I'm no Jean-Luc Picard, but I hope my hug is adequate enough," he said, still hugging her.

"It is," she answered. "I'm going to be a grandmother," she said as she loosened her grip to end the hug.

"I know. Congratulations."

"I think I'm ready to go talk to them."


	6. Chapter 6

**DAY 6**

Beverly had enjoyed breakfast with the students at the house. Wesley had to go to class and she was enjoying the remainder of the morning talking with Elise.

"Is it common for students to have children?" Beverly asked.

"Not really, at least not for us simply at the academy. It's a little more common at the University and much more common in the towns. I have to go to town to see a doctor. I feel strange there, though. Everyone is much older and I always feel like something is going to go wrong, like they will find something is wrong with the baby."

"You shouldn't feel like that when you see your doctor. You should be able to fully trust your obstetrician."

"I wish you could be my doctor instead. Wesley says you're a great doctor. But I guess I need an obstetrician not a general doctor."

"In order to be chief medical officer I had to be able to practice all fields in medicine, including obstetrics. I've delivered many babies of various species."

"Too bad you will be leaving with the Enterprise."

"I do not know how things will work out but I plan on being here for both the graduation and the wedding. I have enough shore leave time accumulated that I can extend my stay until after the baby is born."

"I would really like that Beverly. I will still have 16 weeks left at graduation, I'd love to switch doctors to you for the last trimester."

"I will have to see how we can arrange that. I am certified to practice in Starfleet, not here at Clairmont Academy."

"I'm sure if my parents consent to it then they will have no problem letting you do it."

"What do your parents think of all this?"

"They were shocked, but are ok with it. They just want us to get an education and be safe. They are going to be here for graduation and the wedding but cannot stay after that."

"Your parents are in Starfleet, right?"

"Yeah"

"Where are they stationed?"

"U.S.S. Aries, they are science officers."

"Tell me about your sister. I haven't seen her around much."

"Yeah, Gabrielle is always busy. She doesn't know how to just sit and do nothing. She plans every second of her day. Even though we're identical twins we are very different, opposites it seems sometimes. It's a good thing, though, because people _never_ confuse us."

"How does she feel about you being pregnant?"

"I'm not sure. She seems ok with it but she is always worrying about how it's all going to work out. It sometimes makes me feel like it's a huge mistake and it will all blow up in my face. Bevy and Wesley show much more excitement and it makes me feel better."

"It will be a challenge. It was a challenge for me and I was done with school and married. But it certainly doesn't mean it will be a disaster."

Wesley walked in through the open door, "I'm done for the day," he said and kissed Elise before sitting near her on the bed and scooting all the way back against the wall. In a very natural motion Elise laid down with her head on his lap. "What are we talking about?" he continued.

"Your mom was telling me all sorts of stories about you liking to run around naked"

"MOM!"

"I was not," Beverly said with a big smile, "but I can remember a couple of very cute things you used to do and say."

"I hope that when your memory starts to go those are the first that you forget."

"Wes, I could never forget them. They are my only comfort when I am missing you."

"Please, no stories about me."

"I'd like to hear some," came Jared's voice from the door way. "For counselling purposes, of course," he added with mischievous smile.

"Maybe we can invite some friends over and you can tell us all the stories you have," said Elise. "I'm sure there are plenty of people that would like to hear them."

"Story time will have to wait," Jared interrupted. "The Enterprise has arrived. We will be meeting in Conference Room D12. I'll see you there." And with that he left.

"And I had just gotten comfortable," sighed Elise.

*** * * * * * * ***

"Dad, can I see the fish in your office?"

"How do you know there are fish in there?"

"A little birdie told me."

"Bevy, I need to know who is giving you this information. It can be a security issue."

"It's not, trust me! Are they different, pretty colours?"

"My office is on the bridge and children are not allowed on the bridge."

"That's not what I've heard. Besides, can't the captain make an exception?"

"Alright," he said and they got up and left. They got inside the turbo lift and the captain called, "Bridge." He turned to Bevy and said, "Just don't touch anything. There are a lot of sensitive computers that control the ship's function."

"I know. Can I just look around a little? I've never been on the bridge of a starship."

"Alright," he said as the turbo lift stopped and the door swished open. He stepped off the lift and Bevy followed. Everyone turned to see the captain but held their look when they saw Bevy next to him.

Riker was the first to speak up. "Sir, I wasn't expecting you until we arrived at Clairmont Academy."

"I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is my daughter, Beverly."

Will raised his eyebrows in surprise and gave her a big grin.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"This is Commander Riker."

"You can call me Will."

The captain turned to Deanna and said, "You already know Counselor Troi." He then turned to the back of the bridge, "That's Lieutenant Worf, Chief of Security," then turned to the front and said, "And that's Lieutenant Commander Data at ops."

"Nice to meet you all."

She walked in front of Data's console and walked off to the conn station. She ran her fingers over the edge of the console and walked around to see its panel."

"That's the conn," said Riker.

"I know. It's responsible for helm and navigation. The pilot" and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" her father asked."

"Nothing, I'm just missing someone," she said, wiping the tear away.

"Who?" asked her father, very concerned. She thought a moment before answering.

"My dance partner. We spend a lot of time together."

"Your dance partner, that is also who has given you all the information about the Enterprise? He served here?"

Bevy didn't answer or even look up. She simply looked at the console.

"Bevy," began Deanna, having pieced together some information, "is Wesley at Clairmont Academy?"

She still didn't say anything, didn't move. Sensing her sadness, Deanna walked over to her and hugged her. She began crying. "In two years we have never been apart this long."

"Isn't Wesley at the Academy?" asked Will.

Bevy just shook her head against Deanna's chest. Picard walked to his daughter, putting the little information she had given together.

"He's the one you were taking abut yesterday, in Ten Forward, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"He is graduating after only two years?" he asked, regretting not fully paying attention to everything she had said about her friends, thinking it trivial and unimportant.

She raised her tear stained face from Deanna and walked over to him.

"Yes. He got credit for some of the stuff at Starfleet Academy and for serving here. It was a lot of science credits. I wanted to tell you but he wanted to tell his mother first."

Deanna put her hand on Bevy's back and said, "He has probably already told your mother since she is there right now. I know you miss him but we will be there in less than an hour."

"Yes, come. You wanted to see some fish," and they went into the ready room. Once inside, Bevy sat on the sofa feeling sad. Jean-Luc sat next to her, unsure of what to do. She leaned against his shoulder and he put his arms around her. It was much different than when they were on top of the horse. His arms had been around her simply to reach the rein. This time it was an embrace. She cuddled into his arms, enjoying the hug. She had never been hugged by a grown man other than Jared, but his hugs didn't feel like this. Her father was much older than Jared and his body build was larger. In his arms she felt safe, she felt as if everything would be alright.

"Dad," she said.

"Yes."

"This is the best hug I've ever had."

"He gave her a kiss on her forehead and said, "Bevy, I can't even describe how I feel at this moment. I am glad our paths crossed."

"So I didn't wreck your friendship with her?"

He pulled her up in order to look at her face to face. "Bevy," he said in a serous tone, "whatever happens between your mother and I will not be your fault."

"I know how special your friendship is. I would still feel very bad if it gets ruined because I didn't listen."

"Had you listened we might have never met."

"That's true."

"Didn't you want to see some fish?" he asked, looking towards the fish tank.

"Yes!" she got up and walked over to the fish. She looked at them in silence for a while before speaking again. "Dad, I know you were a close friend of Dr. Crusher and her husband at the time I was born. Why would she not keep me as a child between them? How could she have been so sure I wasn't her husband's?"

"I asked myself the same question when I first found out you were my daughter. Your mother had just begun her career and Jack, her husband, was in the middle of his. Though they were very happy with Wesley they knew another child would delay both their careers and decided not to have any more children. I think it was more of Jack's decision because he had a vasectomy done when Wesley was 2 years old. He would have known you weren't his child."

She continued looking at the fish in silence, thinking. The fish swam aimlessly in the spherical tank, oblivious to the outside universe. They didn't have any troubles, any worries, she thought. The beautiful colours amused her. She wondered what life would be like in a fish tank, getting fed daily and having no where to go. Were they aware of the people outside the tank? Did they care? Probably not, she concluded. How simple to be a fish. Your mother lays the eggs, your father fertilizes them, and when you are ready, you hatch ready to take on life on your own. No family, no friends, no responsibilities. Nothing. Just instinct. Yes, life would be much simpler. She still had plenty of questions she was sure the fish couldn't even fathom.

"So you and Dr. Crusher have never dated?"

"No."

"I always hoped that I was the result of a forbidden romance."

"I don't know what you are the result of. I suspect she erased my memory. But I will tell you a secret."

She turned around and sat back down next to her father, with a smile.

"I have always loved your mother."

She curled up into his arms and he gladly held her.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"Yes."

"And you think she is beautiful?"

"Yes."

They were sitting in silence when Picard felt the ship stop.

"We've dropped out of warp," he said getting up and leaving the ready room. Bevy followed him out.

"Sir," said Riker, "I was just about to call you. We have entered a standard orbit and have been contacted by Clairmont Academy. They said Dr. Crusher has been found innocent and they've requested that you, Counselor Troi, and your daughter attend a meeting in an hour. The location they specified was Conference Room D12 and said Bevy would be able to take you there from the transport coordinates."

"Thank you, Number One," and the three of them left the bridge.

*** * * * * * * ***

The three of them dematerialized and Picard and Troi looked around. It was a different location from where they had transported for the tour earlier in the week.

"It's over here," Bevy said as she began walking towards a building as they followed. "I hope I don't get in too much trouble for being out of uniform."

"I'm sure they will understand," said Troi.

They walked into the building and walked down a hall then turned onto another. They made another turn onto another hallway and Bevy began running. "Wesley!" she shouted. Half way down the hall they saw Dr. Crusher and Wesley standing. Bevy reached Wesley and they hugged each other. As Picard and Troi approached they released their hug and he gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm glad you're O.K." he said and picked up some clothes and a pair of shoes that were on a chair next to a door. "You better go change before Jared gets here."

Beverly just remained silent, not wanting to make eye contact with Picard. Wesley knew this and decided to stall until Jared arrived.

"It's great to see you again, captain."

"Yes. I never expected to hear that you were here, what happened at the Academy?"

"It just wasn't working out for me. Mom and I already talked about it and she can fill you in. How long was Bevy able to keep it a secret?"

"She didn't say anything until about an hour ago. She was disappointed that I was able to figure it out," said Troi.

"How much did she tell you?"

"Just that you are graduating this year. Very impressive. Congratulations."

"Thank you. I'm glad she left the important things to me."

"There is more going on with you?" asked Troi.

"Yes," he said and handed both of them a wedding invitation from his pocket.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Troi and gave him a hug.

"Indeed!" said Picard and shook his hand.

"Wait, there is more."

"More?" they both said and Beverly gave a loud sigh causing them all to look at her.

"Don't worry mom, you will be thrilled about it soon."

"I am happy for both of you, Wesley. Just make me feel like I've lost time."

"What is it?" demanded Deanna.

"Elise and I are expecting a baby."

"They were in the middle of more congratulations when Bevy arrived back in uniform with Jared.

"Jared!" said Troi, "What are you doing here?"

"Taking care of one of your patients, again," he said teasingly and they hugged.

"We had several classes together while we studied in the University of Betazed," she said.

"Come, lets get started," he said, leading them into the conference room. It was a large room with one table and 6 chairs around it, the room too big for them, and windows along the back wall. Jared took the chair at the end of the table, closest to the windows. Beverly and Wesley sat on his left and Bevy and Troi to the right. Picard took the one at the opposite end of Jared. Once everyone was seated Jared took a quick look at everyone sitting at the table. He had decided he would approach the political part of this as a meeting putting on his best representative face and get that part over with as quickly as possible. There were bigger issues to discuss.

"I would like to begin by letting everyone know that there are no time constraints during this meeting. Please feel free to fully express anything that is on your mind. My name is Jared. I am a child psychologist specializing in adolescent behaviour. I am also a Betazoid but I have closed my mind to everyone here except for Beverly, who has requested that I keep my mind open to her. Your thoughts are your own. I have been authorized by our director, Ms. Lampson, to discuss the accident which occurred 6 days ago. To this day your request has been honoured and Dr. Crusher has not spoken to any authority figures. In fact, I am the only adult she has spoken to. A student with telepathic abilities inadvertently projected his feelings of anger and frustration to Dr. Crusher, causing her to act on those feelings. This is a rare occurrence amongst telepaths and there was nothing anyone could have done to anticipate, prevent, or stop it from happening. This student confessed two days ago and Dr. Crusher was released from detention. The student is facing disciplinary action for not coming forth with the truth during the initial investigation. On behalf of everyone at Clairmont Academy, I apologise for the trouble this has caused. Are there any questions regarding the accident?"

Everyone shook their head "no."

_Good,_ thought Jared. _That was easy._ Now he would be more in his element. It was not the first time he was speaking to the family of a student regarding some sort of incident and it would most likely not be the last. After all these days, he was finally getting to do something he was 100% sure he knew how to do.

"Alright, that ends my role as a representative of Clairmont Academy. The rest of our meeting will be discussing the family situation at hand. First, I want to make sure everyone knows some basic information regarding this situation. Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard are the biological parents of Beverly Picard. Dr. Crusher never informed Captain Picard she had his child, brought her to Clairmont Academy in 2354 and signed over custody. Bevy has lived here since. Did everyone know this information?"

"Yes," everyone answered.

"Good. Also, this is now being reported as a family therapy session and I will not be making a report about it," Jared continued before speaking Deanna and the Captain directly. "There are a couple of reasons I asked that Deanna be present besides wanting to see an old friend. I have been working with Beverly for 5 days and know the whole story, the reason things were done, and her feelings about the situation. I wanted to make sure you had an advocate as well, Captain. Before we jump into the family situation, I'd like to discuss my patient's situation," he continued, speaking to Deanna directly. "I have put together my reports regarding our therapy sessions as well as my recommendations for further therapy. She has been very cooperative in our therapy sessions and I am very pleased in the progress she has made."

He handed Deanna a PADD and she quickly looked through it.

"Beverly has never been very cooperative with me. You are going to have to share you secret."

"I will be happy to discuss my methodology," he answered then began speaking to Picard. "Now, like I said, I know the situation and that this is something the both of you need to discuss. Beverly would like to discuss it here, on Clairmont, before you return to your ship. Will you be willing to do that?"

"Yes, that can be arranged."

"OK Captain, have you decided if you would like to pursue a relationship with your daughter?"

"Yes, and I do."

"Beverly?"

"Yes, I would like to."

"Bevy, would you like to get to know your parents?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. Jared then began speaking to both parents.

"I cannot tell either of you how you should handle it, what you should do. I do ask that you remember that whatever you decide to do; professionally, emotionally, personally, that there are 4 children involved: Bevy, Wesley, Wesley's fiancée Elise, and their unborn child. Your choices will have long lasting affects on them."

They both nodded.

"Would anyone like to say anything?"

"Yes," Wesley began, looking at Picard. "I am sorry that I have failed and disappointed you, sir, and everyone else on the Enterprise. I just couldn't stay at the Academy. It was not what I had hoped."

"I am not disappointed, simply surprised. I would be disappointed if you had wasted your talents and not continued with any education."

"Thank you, sir. It means a lot to me."

"Wesley, I hope you don't think less of me because of this situation."

"No, sir. Mom has told me what happened."

"Can _I_ know what happened?" Bevy interrupted.

"Sometimes adults make bad choices, and in trying to fix those mistakes, sometimes we make more bad choices," explained Dr. Crusher.

"There was no way to resolve the situation that would have made everyone happy," added Jared.

"Do you hate me?" Bevy asked her.

"No! I never have. I spent months looking for the best place for you. I didn't want to leave you just anywhere. I wanted to make sure you would have everything you needed and a good education." Beverly was tearing up and Jared placed his hands on hers. Bevy got up and walked to her and they hugged for the first time since Beverly had left her. When they pulled away from each other Bevy asked,

"So, can I call you mom?"

"I wouldn't want you to call me anything else."

"Mom, I think it's time you and dad talked," she said and pulled her mother's head down to whisper in her ear, "He loves you." Beverly's heart skipped a beat as she turned bright red.

"Beverly Picard!" Jared said in a stern, loud voice, having heard Beverly repeat those words in her head. "That was _not_ appropriate!"

"It's alright," Beverly said in a shaky voice.

"Come on, Wes," she told Wesley and they left the room.

The four adults were left in the room sitting, except for Beverly who had retreated to a corner and looked out the window as tears began falling.

"What's wrong, Rosie?" Jared asked.

"Rosie?" Picard and Troi said in unison. Jared turned to them and told Troi telepathically, _"Give us a moment,"_ and he began talking to her in a soft voice, too soft for them to hear.

"They need a moment," Deanna whispered to the captain.

"Why did he call her Rosie?"

"I'm not sure," she said and paused before continuing. "Captain, Jared has completely broken her down psychologically. All I sensed from her were pure, raw emotions. She is very emotionally vulnerable. That is an ideal patient when you are therapist. They respond well and don't fight you. However, it makes a lousy, functioning adult. I do not recommend that she return to duty right away. I would like a couple of days with her to make sure she is emotionally stable enough to return to duty."

"I understand, Counselor. I will allow her to return to duty upon your approval."

"Also, if you become confrontational with her she will most likely break down further instead of standing her ground like she usually does."

"_We need a quick session,"_ Jared told Deanna telepathically as he walked away from Beverly, taking a devise from his pocket. Both Troi and Picard watched as he entered something into it. A voice came from it.

"Yeah?"

"Gabrielle, I need you to get me something."

"OK"

"Go into my room"

"OK, hold on," and a few seconds later, "OK, now what?"

"On my desk there is a brush."

"I see it"

"I need you to get it to me as quickly as you can. I'm in Conference Room D12."

"Sure"

"I'll be waiting for you."

"No need!"

On the table the brush dematerialized.

"Gabrielle, you're awesome!"

"'K. See you later!"

Picard and Troi simply looked at each other puzzled as Jared grabbed the brush and walked over to the edge of the table where he had been sitting and sat on the table. Beverly walked over to him and still facing the windows, she leaned on the table between his legs. He began brushing her hair and continued the hushed conversation.

"What is he doing?" Picard asked Troi.

"He said they needed a quick therapy session." They both sat watching.

"_Would he be ok if they __talked now, with me in the room? You are welcomed to stay too,"_ Jared asked telepathically.

"Jared wants to know if you would be willing to discuss it right now, while we are both still present?"

"Why?"

Deanna relayed the information and responded. "She is afraid," she told Picard. He nodded to her and as she relayed it back to Jared the captain stood up and walked over to Beverly. He stood in front of her and saw her eyes were closed but tears continued to fall.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked sounding slightly stern. She did not answer.

"Let me try," said Jared, still brushing her hair.

"Why are you crying, Rosie?" he asked her in a very tender voice.

There were several minutes of silence and the Captain's growing frustration was very visible. "I ruined you life, I ruined your career. That's what I was supposed to prevent," she said.

"Beverly, what happened? When did it happen?" he pressed, a bit of anger coming through in his voice.

She began weeping and turned around to face Jared. He put his arms around her and told Picard, "Give us a moment."

Picard found himself feeling Jealous. He wanted to be the one comforting her despite the anger and frustration he was feeling towards her. And he wanted to know the truth. He didn't like that Jared knew and he didn't. Deanna sensed his jealousy and pulled him aside.

"Captain, he is used to counselling children and children sometimes need to be coddled."

"But she is not a child!"

"No, but right now she feels like one; a child that is sitting in front of an angry principle wanting to know the truth."

They turned to see him take her face I his hands and whisper something to her. She nodded and he gave her a kiss on her forehead. Deanna felt the jealousy rise even further in her captain.

"I know it doesn't look professional from here, but I don't sense any attraction between them. In fact, I don't even think they see each other as equals. He is definitely the authority figure. Just try again. I think she is ready."

He walked towards Beverly and she stood in front of him, waiting for him to talk. He took both her hands in his and said, "I just want to know."

She took a deep breath and began. "You were visiting. Wesley was sleeping over a friend's house so for the first time it was just the three of us. Jack took out alcohol. The real stuff, not synthehol, including a bottle of Romulan Ale. We all got drunk. Things were said, things were done. In the morning when I woke up I realized what we had done. I woke up Jack. He told me to erase your short term memory. He knew that if you remembered you would be ashamed and it would ruin your friendship. After all, it was his fault. He had brought out all that alcohol, suggested and teased about things that should have never been mentioned. He was not mad, just disappointed in himself. It wasn't until 2 months later that I realized I was pregnant. You two had left a few days after it happened so I told him in a letter. When he responded he said we couldn't keep the baby. He told me to go to Caldos with Nana. I was to leave Wesley there when I had a few months left and figure out where to leave the baby. That's what I did."

He let go of her hands and turned to face a window. He could not deny that he had been attracted to her even once she was married to his best friend. He was a bit relieved to know that this was not done while he was fully aware of his actions, though being drunk wasn't a good excuse either. It surprised him that even drunk, Jack had not done anything about it. If he had, Beverly wasn't sharing that information. It was clear to him that there were a lot of details she was leaving out, but he understood. There were certain things that he still wanted to know but would much rather ask in private. But there were some questions that he just couldn't wait until a later time to find out. After a few moments he turned to face her again. "And you couldn't tell me after he died? When you came on board the Enterprise? All those times we have spent talking about everything in the universe and you couldn't tell my I had a child somewhere?!"

"I wanted to, I just didn't know how or that you would care. You made it very clear you didn't want children."

"You had no right to keep it from me! You had no right to erase my memory!"

"I didn't want to but that's what Jack said to do. I didn't want to give her up. He told me to forget about her, that she never existed and that is how I have lived. Only thinking about her when I am all alone in bed at night, unable to sleep. Wishing I had had the courage to disobey Jack. Wishing that if he was going to die why couldn't it have been before she was born. It was all his idea." There were tears in her eyes again and she retreated to the safety of Jared. He rubbed her arms in encouragement as the Captain continued.

"You did all that just to preserve his reputation?"

"No. Yours." And she began crying again. Picard put his arms out to hold her and she stepped towards him, allowing him to put his arms around her. Both counsellors looked at each other and smiled, feeling very pleased that both had resolved their feelings about the situation. Picard continued to hold her, he wasn't letting go until she gave him some sort of sign to do so. Crusher thought the same.

"We have a wonderful daughter."

"So I've been told. I really want to get to know her."

"So, you're going to be a grandmother."

"Yes," she sighed.

"I'm the older one and you get to be the grandparent first."

Beverly pulled away and hit his chest teasingly.

"I could report that as assault on a superior officer," he teased.

"Nope. I'm not in uniform," she said, looking down at her dress. Picard looked at it too. It was a light pink sundress. He followed the dress up, passed her shoulders, and looked at her in the eyes. They made him happy and he smiled, making her smile.

"_Can I help him?"_ Jared asked Deanna telepathically.

"_I _should_ say no, but I can't be held responsible for something you choose to do, even if I agree."_

Jared opened his mind to the captain's, he could hear his thoughts. He concentrated; it was difficult to do with non-telepaths_. "Kiss her,"_ he whispered in the captain's mind. This startled the captain and he looked at both counsellors with a quizzical look. They both nodded with approval.

"What?" asked Beverly, noticing the silent communication.

"I love you," he said and kissed her lips. Beverly gasped, surprised, and he kissed her again. This time Beverly allowed him to continue and it turned into a deep, passionate kiss. Beverly pulled away after a few moments and Jean-Luc noticed she was bright red.

"I think we have an audience that is doing more than just watching," she said. They turned to face both counsellors, feeling embarrassed at their display and the emotions they were both surely sensing from them.

"Jared," began Deanna, "Didn't you say this was a therapy session?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then aren't we bound by doctor/patient confidentiality?"

"We sure are," he said, walking towards them. "Besides, I feel privileged to be able to see you this happy, Rosie."

"Why do you call her Rosie?" asked Deanna.

"It's one of my therapy tactics."

"You're going to _have to _share them with me, Jared."

"I'd be happy to discuss them with you. Now, it's lunch time. Would you like to join us at the house?"

"I'd love to," said Deanna.

"That sounds lovely," replied Picard.

The Captain and Doctor locked arms and all four of them piled out. The couple walked in silence, not quite understanding why they had not expressed their feelings to each other before or why it came so easily to do so today.

"What made you come back after graduation?" Deanna asked Jared as they exited the building, both of them walking ahead of the other two.

"I wanted to stay close to home while I did my internship which is why I had chosen to do it here. I liked it so much I came back."

"I enjoyed my internship here too. I remember we had some fun times between work. It is very beautiful and peaceful here. I can see why you liked it enough to return."

"Looks aren't everything. The students here are very pleasant. When I first went into child psychology I went in wanting to work with adolescents, help adolescents, but I didn't want to go into medicine or teaching so counselling seemed logical. When we started dealing with childhood and teen traumas I almost left the program. I couldn't imagine dealing with teenagers who had gone through such horrible things. None of the students here have gone through great traumas so my job is very pleasant. I deal with normal teen stuff and it's very satisfying. You are more comfortable speaking out loud?"

"I've gotten used to it since I can only communicate telepathically with other Betazoids and few other telepathic species…" They continued talking as the Captain and Doctor continued in silence, occasionally making eye contact just to quickly look somewhere else. Finally, Jean-Luc broke the silence.

"This is getting awkward. I don't want us to be uncomfortable with each other."

"This is just so new; I'm not quite sure how to react. I also don't quite feel like myself. I spent almost 4 days alone, with only short visits from Jared and Elise. I spent the rest of the time learning about all the things Wesley has been up to and getting to know my future daughter in law. It's a lot to take in and despite Jared's reassurance; I don't think I'm dealing with it too well. This, us, is just one more new thing for me to deal with. Not that I'm not happy about it. I'm still getting used to it all."

Even though both counsellors kept talking they stayed close enough to the new couple to listen in on their conversation, for counselling purposes, of course.

"I understand. We'll take it one day at a time."

"I just feel like I've run out of time here and there is still so much I want to do before leaving."

"Captain," interrupted Deanna, "Have you decided if we will be staying for the competition Bevy mentioned?"

"That's right," Jared said, "it's in 3 days."

"I haven't received any new orders from Starfleet and the crew could always use some R&R. I see no reason to miss it. I know 3 more days is probably not enough time to deal with all the new things in your life but it will give you some time."

"It will be just enough time to figure out a plan on how we will continue our relationship with our daughter," Beverly said with a smile. They approached the house and as they reached the door they could hear music coming from inside. Jared slid his card through the card reader and they all entered the living room as the music suddenly stopped.

"You _need _to tie your hair! All of it!" Wesley said to Bevy with irritation in his voice.

"It's never bothered you before!" she shouted back.

"It's never gotten in my eyes and mouth this much before."

"Then close your eyes and shut your mouth."

"How am I suppose to dance with my eyes closed, genius?"

"Why do you think we practice? It's so that we know what comes next and don't _need_ to see what is going on, Einstein."

Elise, who had been sitting on the sofa the whole time, started laughing. "Congratulations, you two made it through a whole hour before you began arguing. I think that's a new record." Wesley and Bevy had been so caught up in their argument that they did not notice when the four adults entered the room so they both jumped slightly when Jared began to speak.

"Since your parents are here I will give them the honour of settling this," he said, both of them still very visibly upset at each other. "I am going to get lunch started, just don't break anything."

"Break anything?" asked Picard confused.

"Wesley broke a window." Bevy said teasingly.

"_You_ knocked the PADD out of my hand! And you broke the vase."

"It came out of nowhere."

"It hadn't moved in months!"

"And the glass table?"

"You pushed me and I lost my balance!"

"Klutz!"

"Good luck," said Jared as he left the living room and made his way to the kitchen, Elise following him.

"You two get physical when you fight?" asked Beverly a little shocked.

"Bevy does."

"I do not! You wouldn't let me leave."

"Enough you two," said Picard, feeling annoyed at the petty argument. "You are acting like immature young children. I know both of you are capable of acting much better."

"You are both right," added Beverly. "You should be able to perform your dance blindfolded. But leaving your hair loose is distracting, not only to your partner but to your audience and judges. It depends on what type of dance you are doing and as partners this is something that you should be able to discuss without getting insulting or into a shouting match."

Bevy turned to Wesley and said, "I'm sorry," in a sincere voice.

"Me too," he replied.

"Besides, I'm still the better kid."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Well, I didn't secretly leave school and I'm not having a baby. I stayed right were mom left me and behaved."

"That's it!" Beverly said frustrated. "Both of you go to your rooms!"

"I agree," added Jean-Luc. "You two need to think about how you are treating each other." To both of their surprise, they both listened and quietly made their way upstairs as Jared returned to the room.

"Why do they fight so much?" asked Beverly.

"Up until two years ago they were both essentially only children," he began. "Suddenly they have to share the attention. Even though neither one of you was physically here, or even aware of the situation, they have been working on impressing you and gaining your approval. Bevy wants it because she's never had it. Wesley wants it because he feels like he has disappointed both of you. Though biologically Wesley only has one parent he sees both of you as parents and he feels threatened by her. He feels that he will loose his father figure to her. She feels like she can't be as good as Wesley. I've been working with both of them individually and together but was missing the key to the problem: the parents. Now that you are in communication and will be involved in their lives together we can all work to get them past this. The arguing has really just gotten to the point where it's more of a habit most of the time."

Deanna had just been observing the whole situation. "Since this can't be fixed in three days I will be willing to help you both with this as well. They are both good kids. They just need to realize that you can love both of them and not just one."

"And it's really not as bad as it sounds. They don't argue too often, they have maybe one major argument like this once every day or so. The majority of the time they are quite happy with each other. The things they have both broken were accidents. It just all happened to take place within two weeks. They do care deeply for each other. Wesley can be very protective of her and she worries about his health all the time."

"His health?" asked Beverly with worry.

"It's a common problem we have with the few students that come from Starfleet Academy. They tend to have poor eating habits, push themselves to the point of exhaustion, and have very poor sleep habits staying up extremely late and waking up early. He's gotten much better but she still worries."

"Yes, that would describe me and my friends perfectly during our academy days," said Picard.

"Now, are you two ready for the greatest challenge you have ever faced:," asked Jared, "parenting two competitive young adults?"

They looked at each other for reassurance.

"Yes" they said in unison.


	7. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

The crew of the Enterprise enjoyed their unscheduled R&R at Clairmont Academy. Bevy and Wesley placed 2nd place at the dance competition, which was impressive considering it was their first year competing at the professional level. Before departing, Beverly and Jean-Luc decided that the best way to get to know their daughter and help both Bevy and Wesley with their jealousy issues would be to have daily sub-space communication.

Shortly after departing from Clairmont Academy, both the Captain and Dr. Crusher arranged to have 150 days of shore leave beginning the day of the graduation. During the four months between the incident at Clairmont Academy and the graduation, Beverly and Jean-Luc developed their relationship, giving the ship plenty to gossip about.

The Enterprise returned to Clairmont Academy in June to attend the graduation of the class of 2370, which included Wesley, Elise, and Gabrielle. The Enterprise departed without its captain and CMO the day after the graduation. Beverly and Jean-Luc settled in a house conveniently located on the outskirts of the main campus. It was a large 4 bedroom house which they purchased with Elise and Gabrielle's parents so that they could all live together. Everyone shared a bedroom: Wesley and Elise, Bevy and Gabrielle, Jean-Luc and Beverly. The fourth bedroom was prepared as a nursery for the baby. Dr. Crusher became Elise's new doctor at the request of her parents and was granted full access to a clinic at a nearby town. On November 1, 2370, Elise gave birth to a healthy baby boy which they named Robert Gene Crusher.

* * *

Author's Note: A sequel has been written called "Children, Polls, and Speculation." It is posted here but for more up to date sequels please visit my website.


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